Carl Maria von Weber: Euryanthe, Overture
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
Robert Schumann: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major ‘Rhenish’, Op. 97
Isabelle Faust, violin
London Symphony Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner
Antwerp, Queen Elisabeth Hall, 30 January 2019
Sir John Eliot Gardiner and the London Symphony Orchestra visited Antwerp with a splendid programme of German early Romantic music. They captured the exalted homages from Weber and Schumann to the Germany of olden times in vivid and dramatic readings that made a good case – barring some rough edges – for traditional orchestras adopting period-style influences. Eventually it was a stellar performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major by Isabelle Faust that made the evening really memorable.