In a free concert at the Gustav Vasa kyrka Thursday evening, the Royal Philharmonics with conductor Okko Kamu performed Pärt’s Fratres and Beethoven’s Third symphony.
I wasn’t prepared (don’t think anyone was!) for the kind of attention the concert had so obviously received – the line with people queueing lingered around the whole block, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the last six(!) people allowed in.
We were all in for a treat – Pärt’s sad and beautiful Fratres hadn’t more than finished when the opening chords of the Eroica interrupted, only pointing out how well these two very different pieces work together live.
Compared to the really awful acoustics of the Sofia kyrka, the sound is rich and detailed – only when the whole orchestra is busy a somewhat fuzzy echo takes over.
Okko Kamu managed to competently squeeze out the drama in both pieces, showing everyone that there’s hopefully not too much to worry about now that Alan Gilbert has left for New York.
