Concert review: Pieter Wispelwey (cello) Orchestra Of St Luke’s/Nicholas Ellis

Led by energetic emerging conductor Nicholas Ellis, the strings of the Orchestra of St Luke’s performed Bach’s First Orchestral Suite with poise and style. Rhythms and articulation were finely matched and the elegant dynamics and phrasing of the gavottes were a delight. Marc Goldberg did a phenomenal job in what is essentially a Baroque bassoon concerto.

This made a fine opener to the main attraction: Haydn’s C major Cello Concerto performed by Pieter Wispelwey, whose gestural approach to the work was refreshing, if also occasionally startling. There is simply no-one who performs like him – with a remarkable array of articulation within each phrase, and more experimentation than I’ve perhaps ever heard from the stage. I loved his growly and noisy broken arpeggios in the first movement, which made a remarkable contrast to the tender second theme. His original cadenza was hilarious – and sounded wonderfully improvisatory. The Adagio was simple but unpredictable and the finale again showed his commitment to character and gesture, even at the expense of precision. Never have I been to a concert at Carnegie Hall or elsewhere where the soloist played out of tune, got lost (in the last movement) and still received a wild and well-deserved standing ovation. He performed with total command the second movement of Haydn’s D major Cello Concerto for his encore, once again bringing the audience to its feet.

Haydn’s Symphony no.49 closed the programme with thoughtfully crafted phrasing and pristine ensemble – a wonderful end to a remarkable concert.

LEAH HOLLINGSWORTH