Poetry and power merged as promised for Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of young Spanish conductor Antonio Mendez, joined by Croatian Dejan Lazic for Brahms' First Piano Concerto.
The pianist Claudio Arrau once stipulated that the first movement should be played majestically, as its composer directed, rather than simply fast. In keeping with Brahms' intentions, there was a cohesion to this performance that allowed the volatile opening pages to melt with a murmur into the nocturne-like theme that follows.
Lazic is a virtuoso, aware of the colouristic potential of technical brilliance when casting electrifying octaves towards an ominous burst of timpani.
If Mendez sometimes seemed intense and nervy in his movements, it only served to highlight the almost psychological struggle that lies in these pages.
For all the power games, however, there was also great tenderness, a quality Clara Schumann singled out in the score. This came out in Lazic's solo moments, offering us, more than once, just over a minute of what could have been a prime quality Brahms recital, exquisitely modulated in both tone and tempo.
