Jakub Hrůša, with the Staatskapelle Berlin, has confirmed his place among the elite conductors of our time

On November 4, 2024, during the final ovations at a concert of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra at the Janáček Theatre in Brno, Hrůša addressed the audience with heartfelt words. He expressed a hope that his next performance in Brno would come sooner than the usual span of several years.

At the time, even Hrůša himself could not have known how prophetic those words would turn out to be.

Thielemann’s program for the Janáček Brno Festival had to be completely altered due to logistical issues. Both the monumental work by Schoenberg and the new piece by Moussorgsky required an extensive rehearsal process, which the substitute conductor could not meet. Jakub Hrůša took over the baton just 14 days after his successful performance with the Bamberg Symphony.

Despite the changes, Jan Bartoš remained the soloist of the evening, substituting Mendelssohn’s piano concerto with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 ("Emperor"). In the second half of the concert, Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 replaced the originally planned Schönberg symphony. As a result, German music remained the centerpiece, but the program took on a more traditional form for obvious reasons.

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, often called the "Emperor," has long been associated with imperial grandeur, though this moniker did not come from Beethoven himself, who had little affection for such dedications. It is widely believed that a French officer at the premiere of the work in 1811, possibly in Vienna during the Napoleonic wars, cried out "C’est l’Empereur!" after hearing it, thus giving rise to the name. Some sources also suggest that the title "Emperor" was coined by the pianist Johann Baptist Cramer.

The soloist of the evening, pianist Jan Bartoš, interpreted Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with a robust, classical style and an evident emotional depth. In the first movement, he dazzled with virtuosic octave passages, precise ornamentation, and a clear, comprehensible technique, deliberately avoiding any romanticizing tendencies. His interpretation strongly reminded me not only of his teacher, Ivan Moravec, but also of Alfred Brendel, John Lill, and Garrick Ohlsson.

The second movement brought an entirely different, intimate atmosphere, almost dreamlike, as Bartoš’s exceptional tone quality captivated the audience. The third movement sparkled with a festive, radiant energy, which was met with enthusiastic applause. As an encore, he played the intimate, moving Mary of Frydek from Janáček’s On an Overgrown Path, showcasing a different, yet equally compelling, side of his artistry.

One of the defining characteristics of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 is the heightened role of the orchestra, which the composer seeks to balance with the solo piano. The orchestra carries broad symphonic textures and communicates through solo wind instruments even in the accompanying sections. Staatskapelle Berlin, under the direction of Jakub Hrůša, accompanied Bartoš attentively and sensitively. While I noticed a few slight delays, they were minimal. In the orchestral sections of the first movement, Hrůša drew the maximum intensity from the ensemble before letting the orchestra recede into a supportive role, only to rise again with full sound. These contrasts worked beautifully, and despite the acoustic limitations of the Janáček Theatre, the performance nearly reached the ideal sound quality of legendary recordings.

After the intermission, Staatskapelle Berlin performed Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, a work that the composer labored over for an astonishing 21 years, marked by frequent revisions due to his intense self-criticism. Brahms was under considerable pressure to create a piece that would stand as a worthy successor to Beethoven’s legacy, and it is widely agreed that he succeeded in this endeavor.

The orchestra navigated Brahms' symphonic landscape with remarkable ease and balance. The woodwind section, particularly the horns, was beautifully blended with the strings, avoiding the typical overwhelming sound that can sometimes occur when these sections are combined. The horns, especially in their "Alphorn" solo in the finale, were beautifully resonant and full of rich tonal nuances, perfectly complementing the string-heavy texture of the symphony. The woodwind section shone as well, with the principal oboist delivering a stunning solo in the second movement, and the first clarinetist adding a layer of inspiration to the second and third movements.

The brass, too, displayed their strength in the final movement, where the trombones, after being silent for most of the piece, brought a deep, soulful quality to the choral section. The strings were exceptional throughout, offering crisp, clean lines and seamless ensemble playing. Overall, the Staatskapelle Berlin's performance of Brahms' Symphony No. 1 was one of great precision and depth, with each section of the orchestra contributing to the sweeping emotional impact of the work.

From Brahms' performance, I had the most powerful experience of the evening. Jakub Hrůša once again solidified his reputation as one of the top conductors of his generation. His unique blend of Czech warmth and German precision achieved extraordinary success. Another tribute to Brno was the encore, a Janáček orchestral piece—Dymák from Lašské tance. While not typical repertoire for Staatskapelle, it quickly became evident, especially in the very fast tempo of the encore. The ensemble’s coordination teetered on the edge at times, but it was a charming and delightful performance nonetheless.

Hrůša’s second appearance at the 9th International Janáček Brno Festival in 2024 was again a triumph. He delivered a top-tier interpretation of Brahms and Beethoven, dazzling in dynamic peaks, yet intimate and deeply emotional in the quieter moments. What impressed me most was his inspiring way of bringing out voices from the orchestral fabric. It was unclear what was rehearsed and what was spontaneous, but it felt like the epitome of pure musicianship.

Ph © Janáček festival Brno/Marek Olbrzymek