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3Lang Lang sat at the piano for the long 110 bar orchestral introduction, twitching his fingers in preparation. It is all too easy to take for granted his amazing technique: the effortless scales whirling and swirling with such dexterity and lightness and his ability to find new meaning in each repeated fragment. Among the dramatic hair flicks and hands flung high in the sky, this was a performance so mesmerising, it was easy to forget there was an orchestra on stage. He made the MCO follow his lead with those intensely quiet pianissimos, before the glimmering darkness of the cadenza drew us to the musical world of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, such was the high level of storytelling and the freshness of his interpretation. The piano solo opening the second movement depicted intense pain, something Nelsons understood as the audience was all swept along with expressive and attractive playing from bassoon and flute. But the speed of the piano trills put the focus firmly back on Lang Lang. Here was an artist clearly in his element, possessing a depth of understanding and confidence which was quite astounding. Launching straight into the third movement, his left hand countermelody pushing the orchestra ever forward was phenomenal. Music seemingly oozes through every sinew of his being and, even when not playing, his body articulates the orchestral parts with such commitment. A cheeky Presto to finish brought the audience to their feet, children racing to the stage to hand over flowers, and other audience members flocking to the top of the famous stairs to catch their hero before his exit. His stunning encore was Rainbow Connection, an arrangement of film music from The Muppet Movie which Lang Lang performed with great ease and poise.
De solisten (het koor ontbrak) gaven elkaar geen duimbreed toe qua acteerwerk, maar puur vocaal verdienden Fiordiligi en Don Alfonso de zegepalm. Al is het maar omdat hun volumes de Grote Zaal moeiteloos vulden. Meer bariton dan bas, wat past bij Mozarts oudere adellijke types, hield Guillem Batllori als cynische filosoof met een autoritair en toch smeuïg timbre alle touwtjes strak in handen.
Deze Armeense mezzo was niet minder dan een spectaculaire revelatie. Net als tenor Michele Angelini (Idreno). Zijn grote aria in de eerste akte komt pas als die al een uur onderweg is. En eerlijk gezegd zakt de spanning dan gewoonlijk wat weg, maar Angelini zorgde daar voor het hoogtepunt van de middag. Met soepele stratosferische tonen zong hij met gemak het dak eraf.
