Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House
November 26, 2018

If anyone thought the surprise of the Staatskapelle Berlin’s incredible sound might have worn off by their second concert under the baton of maestro Daniel Barenboim, they were mistaken. The descending passages that open Brahms’s Third Symphony were delivered with a robust, full-throated power, Barenboim drawing from the Staatskapelle a “con brio” in atmosphere if not necessarily in tempo, the depth of the string blend once again thoroughly arresting.

Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin at the Sydney Opera House. Photo © Peter Adamik

The Third Symphony – which comes in a pair with the Fourth, the two completed a year apart (in 1883 and 1884) after an almost six year gap following the Second – is perhaps the composer’s most enigmatic. From the rousing opening, Barenboim highlighted the more delicate, ambiguous textures in this symphony – there were some beautiful flute and clarinet moments in the first movement, passionate strings (led by Concertmaster Jiyoon Lee in this concert), and Hanno Westphal’s expansive horn lines were a highlight throughout. The Staatskapelle’s brass were also on show, producing a complex dark-edged sound just short of gritty....