Three nights, three concertos and five symphonies: the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is approaching its deep dive into Mendelssohn with the kind of intensity this still-slightly-underrated composer doesn’t often receive. András Schiff is both conductor and, in the two piano concertos, soloist. The Blüthner fortepiano he’s playing looks like it wants to be a modern concert grand when it grows up. It’s a big instrument for its kind and, in the Piano Concerto No 2 – which began this second concert of the series – its clear, bright tone was a good match for the orchestra. This wasn’t an overly lyrical performance, even though the song-like slow movement flowed beautifully; it was, however, charged with unflagging energy. Schiff picked out the melodies strongly, even while keeping the busy accompanying figuration brilliantly delicate – the finale was a reminder that Mendelssohn, who gave the premiere, was himself quite the virtuoso.
As an encore Schiff played the Variations Sérieuses, a heavyweight solo piano piece lasting well over 10 minutes, probably a meatier item than necessary at this point. Certainly by the time we got to the closing moments of the Reformation Symphony, which followed, the performance had taken on an end-of-evening energy, even though there was another whole symphony to come after the interval.
Too much of a good thing? Very nearly – but not quite. Both symphonies found the orchestra sounding invigorated, and nothing dragged. The Reformation Symphony had started with the instruments blending together to sound like an organ – a small one, nothing too grand – and finished in a blaze of rasping brass, including the low grumble of a serpent. There was much character and colour in between, with the stereo placing of the violins creating lively effects and with some perky playing in the outdoorsy second movement. In the Scottish Symphony the strings took a moment to settle, but it was the clarinet solos that stole the show, before the work romped home in a delightfully unguarded competition between the four horns on one side and the timpani on the other. Schiff’s conducting may seem small and neat but it draws out big playing.