András Schiff’s dulcet piano tones flooded the Concertgebouw. Sitting centre-stage, a French 1838 Érard piano from the Edwin Beunk Collection in Enschede. Earlier in the week, Schiff had shared how playing on a period instrument was only possible when working with an ensemble such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment who perform on instruments from that time; a sharp contrast to the emotionally laden music of Mahler which Amsterdam audiences have been treated to all week.
András Schiff and the OAE in Amsterdam | The programme
The delightful surprise
Schumann’s Introduction and Allegro appassionato is a delightful work, full of vim and fire whilst still leaving plenty of time for reflection. Revelling in some particularly attractive bass melodic lines, it is easy to take for granted the ease Schiff brings to music-making. His enthusiasm is infectious.
Schiff the conductor
With the piano now removed from the stage, a serene calm descended as the four opening chords of the Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream crept in. Whispering and scuttling violins rustled in the undergrowth; the attention to detail, striking. Schiff, now standing in the OAE’s midst, conducted from memory. Billowing and thundering horns kept all on their toes while delicate woodwind bounded around.
Written in 1826 when only seventeen-years-old, Mendelssohn returned to the play sixteen after his first foray into the world of Shakespearian comedy. The result: a work with 14 movements composed as music ‘between the acts’ – three of which were on the podium today.
The Intermezzo’s folk dance, complete with cello drone and rustic bassoon, conjured a very British rural scene full of straw-bales and swashbuckling country folk downing cider. In contrast, the Nocturne – a well-known horn solo found on many a youthful music stand – proved more challenging for the natural horn. Did Mendelssohn intend this music to be played instead on a more modern horn with valves? We will never know. To finish, the Scherzo brought us back to safer territory as impressive strings scampered every which way.
The piano concerto
Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor started with the usual bombastic opening flourish, however, the loud passages seemed to be missing the usual tonal variety readily available on more modern instruments. Reassuringly though, this 1838 Érard piano seemed suited to the lyrical and expressive second theme as the left-hand piano accompaniment melted into both the flute and clarinet’s answering phrases. Teamed with sensitive yet robust accompaniment from the OAE, Schiff still had to work that little bit harder to bring clarity in faster moments. Performances such as these make it abundantly clear that Schumann, like Beethoven, was writing for an instrument of the future.
Despite period instrument challenges, Schiff’s undeniable mastery and musicianship shone throughout; the OAE obviously delighting in his spontaneous dialogue. Standing briefly for the orchestral tuttis, the wisdom and care he takes over phrasing was a joy to witness. Remarks earlier in the week to Jessica Duchen, telling musicians to ignore the bar lines rung true: “They are like walls of prison cells, and we must liberate ourselves from those walls”.
For an encore, the OAE treated us to Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, a favourite of audiences in the UK, but not so well-known in the Netherlands. With crystal-clean violin lines and delicious pianissimo strings accompanying the clarinet melody, Schiff’s adeptness once again shone brightly.
An OAE video
András Schiff talks about early 1800s pianos which are strung with parallel strings, slightly differently to their modern counterparts. Later pianos use a different technique which produces more volume. With diagonal strings: “what you gain in volume, you lose in colours and these instruments with parallel strings have very distinct registers – bass, middle and top.”
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This concert was reviewed on Saturday 17th May 2025 in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
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