Bows moved in unison, strings echoed in harmony and notes ebbed from the stage of Chowdiah Memorial Hall as some of Germany's finest musicians held the music lovers gathered there in a trance.
Marking the golden jubilee celebrations of the Indo-German Cultural Society and the Goethe-Institut in India, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra rendered an evening of symphonic excellence recently.
For the packed audience who had graced the occasion, little did they know that they would be swayed so harmoniously by the talented group from Stuttgart.
The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra is by far the oldest professional chamber orchestra in the world rendering spectacular music since it was founded in 1945. A frequent guest on international concert podiums, the Orchestra has rendered innumerable concert performances around the globe and has participated in top international music festivals –– a clear evidence of quality and the outstanding reputation of the ensemble.
The evening began with the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major BWV 1048 by the renowned composer –– Johann Sebastian Bach. The three-piece set, comprising three violins, three violas, three cellos and one double bass, played by a segment of the 17-member ensemble displayed a variety of styles, influences and musical concerns. The work's two main sections were delivered in harmonic intensity separated by a brief Adagio which stood apart as a short violin cadenza.
The complete ensemble came on stage for the next set also by Bach – the Concerto for violin and orchestra in D minor BWV 1052. Renowned world over for their representation of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and orchestral suites, the troupe played the three-piece set to stimulating perfection. One of Bach's earliest concertos, it's clear melodic outline blew a kaleidoscopic range of colours and shades off the stage.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Divertimento in D Major KV 136 followed.Intense and full of explosive energy the instruments complemented each other in an enchanting tempo.
The director and soloist Koija Blacher was a one-man orchestra with his fingers racing across the neck of his violin during his solo pieces. Confidence exuding off the stage, the musicians deftly bowed their instruments while keeping their eyes focussed on Blacher.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Serenade for String Orchestra in C Major Op. 48 was the grand finale. The four movements set is one of the late Romantic era's most definitive compositions.
Leaving an impregnable mark, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra received a thunderous applause promised to return for the diamond jubilee as well.
