Royal Festival Hall, London
Concerts often improve after the interval, but the second half of this Philharmonia event involving András Schiff was something else entirely. In the first half, Schiff simply conducted. His relaxed, frequently non-interventionist approach made a refreshing contrast to the hyperactive ego-driven maestros whose gestures often have more to do with impressing the audience.
Schiff never played to the gallery. Still, works such as Brahms's Haydn Variations and Haydn's London Symphony need more determined and detailed leadership than he provided: the Brahms required more definition and bite, and a greater sense of build towards the climax of the finale; and, despite much fine playing, the Haydn was short on wit, especially in the slow movement, and under-characterised overall.
Yet in the second half, Schiff proved masterly as he undertook the seemingly much harder task of playing and directing Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto. In fact, he had a little judicious help in bringing the orchestra in from its leader, Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay, who carefully cued those passages where Schiff was otherwise engaged. But the whole thing was flawlessly dovetailed, and at least as neat as the regular setup for Beethoven, involving a separate soloist and conductor.
Schiff the pianist was on outstanding form, giving the melodic lines a firm but delicate profile, varying textures with imagination, and voicing inner parts with spellbinding skill. If he brought the same intricate intensity to his conducting, the results could be sensational.