An Evening in Tivoli Gardens with Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

          Amidst the rollercoasters, carnival games and fancy restaurants, Copenhagen’s famous Tivoli Gardens house a gorgeous concert hall with a seating capacity of over 1,500 audience members. It was there that I recently attended the nearly sold-out performance of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with conductor Daniel Barenboim.The program opened with Debussy’s La Mer, followed by Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9. These two composers, in combination, embody the transition from late Romanticism at the end of the 19th century to the Impressionist movement at the turn of the 20th century. Yet, despite my knowledge of this musical connection, I had never heard a full Bruckner symphony before, let alone a Bruckner symphony paired with one of Debussy’s orchestral works, so I was eager to hear the two composers together in concert.

          The orchestra’s rendition of La Mer was incredibly energetic and sentimental; having performed this work before, I was highly impressed by the group’s clear dynamic contrasts and impeccable balance, allowing melodies to rise out of the composition’s many textural elements invoking images of the sea and sky. The louder sections of the piece were particularly well-paced, with forte moments played less turbulently than others marked fortissimo. However, the orchestra failed to remain in-sync during several melodic and rhythmic transitions, an unfortunate trope of many youth orchestras. The most obvious of these mistakes occurred during the final movement, including during the well-known 8-violin solo and even during the final notes of the composition. These missteps surprised me, given that Maestro Barenboim's directions appeared remarkably easy to follow. 

          In fact, Barenboim’s physical expressivity combined with his calm and collected energy during cues or changes in tempo were easily my favorite aspect of this first piece. His connection to the orchestra was extremely palpable from my balcony seat in the concert hall, seemingly reaching all the way to the musicians at the back of the stage. Furthermore, I appreciated his humility during the orchestra’s final bows before intermission, as he stepped off to the side of the stage to let the young orchestra members bask in the spotlight.

Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

          In Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9, I must admit that my attempt to critique the orchestra was offset by my disdain for the work. From the predictable key changes to the interminable surges in dynamic intensity, the symphony was, for lack of a better word, cliché. The fact that the symphony was left unfinished also resulted in an awkward conclusion to the concert, with the final key of B Major being in no way related to the home key of D minor. Despite my negative opinions of the composition, I appreciated that the orchestra played every note with full conviction and musical intention. To me, the most engaging part of the performance was the string’s constant physical agitation, from quick down bow strokes to endless sections of fortissimo tremolos. 

          A moment that particularly struck me was at the end of the 1st movement, when an elderly stranger seated next to me leaned over and whispered to me how strange it was to watch this work being performed. “Their bodies are the music,” he said. Reflecting upon this performance today, I could not agree with him more; the orchestra ultimately worked together to bring the symphony to life with their physical movements and their unwavering expressivity. In many ways, this second half of the program testified to the importance of the visual experience during a musical performance. Without sufficient visual stimuli, attending concerts of any genre or style would often seem lackluster or uninspired. Audience members would dwindle, as they would begin to find audio recordings equally compelling. Fortunately, this orchestra’s performance in Copenhagen was both aurally and visually exciting, and thus continued to keep the power of live performance alive. 

          In brief, my impression of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and Daniel Barenboim in Tivoli was extremely positive, despite a few ensemble problems during the Debussy and my dislike for Bruckner’s unfinished symphony. I highly recommend attending a performance by this powerhouse of an ensemble to anyone interested in supporting an inspiring youth orchestra in summers to come.