2023-06-02 08:30:00
The Gewandhaus Orchestra followed the next day with the 8th symphony, also known as the “Symphony of a Thousand”, although this size of instrumentation is rarely kept. An approximately 80-minute two-movement piece, basically more an oratorio than a symphony, which in this case was performed with over 400 participants. In addition to the full Gewandhaus Orchestra under the direction of Gewandhaus Kapellmeister Andris Nelsons, this included eight vocal soloists, the MDR Radio Choir, the Choir of the Leipzig Opera and the Thomaner, Gewandhaus and Gewandhaus Children’s Choirs.
From bottom to top
A basis for subjecting both orchestras and both conductors to a comparison. Thielemann, who was born in Berlin, turned 64 in April and has been chief conductor of the Staatskapelle for eleven years, stands out from the crowd of orchestra conductors because, unlike them, he does not lead his rhythmic beats from top to bottom, but from bottom to top. He conducts with his whole body. Much of what he communicates to the orchestra is based on facial expressions, he often kneels during the course of the music, turns to different sides of his orchestra. The beats or the vibrating twitches of his conductor’s baton don’t always work in sync with the beat that one perceives superficially. Nevertheless, in this way he achieves maximum musical perfection, sound transparency and dynamic differentiation.
Often with just one hand
Andris Nelsons, who was born in Latvia and has officially been the 21st Gewandhaus Kapellmeister since 2018, makes the impression of a sedentary master of ceremonies, although he is almost 20 years younger than Thielemann. His conducting style is more symmetrical. Apparently he beats the rhythm more than assigning his entrances to individual groups of voices. Remarkably often he conducted Mahler’s Eighth in Leipzig with just his right hand, while holding onto the railing of the podium behind his back with his left. He stands with both feet firmly on the ground, rarely changing his position. The result is a rich, full orchestral sound, which was sometimes too loud in the mammoth work, but coherently differentiated in the tempi, and transparent – if at all possible in a work that is so interspersed with haunting choral passages.
Who has the better tailor?
One thing is noticeable on the outside: with the strong ups and downs in arms and shoulders, unsightly bulges build up in the back of Nelson’s jacket – like his Dresden colleague he wears a stand-up collar jacket buttoned up to the neck. Thielemann’s back usually remains wrinkle-free with such movements. Apparently he has the better tailor.
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