Marcus Bosch & Neubrandenburger Philharmonie, “Philharmonic shines with new conductor and a brilliant double bassist” – review on Nordkurier
Bruckner’s Extra-Long Symphony
A double bassist as soloist and a symphony nearly 70 minutes long, not only for these reasons did the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic perform an extraordinary concert.
Double bassists rarely play the leading role in an orchestra. They usually stand on the far right at the edge — at least in the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic. Double bassists provide the deep and warm tones that do not often come to the foreground, but, like all other instruments, naturally play an important role in the richness of sound in classical works.
The Concert Demands a Great Deal from the Double Bassist
Božo Paradžik is an exception. The double bassist performs as a soloist and therefore, by profession, enjoys standing at the very front of the stage. Rightly so, as he demonstrated in his two appearances with the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic at the dress rehearsal and the premiere of the 6th Philharmonic Concert at the Concert Church.
Johann Baptist Vanhal’s Double Bass Concerto in E major (1739–1813) was composed at the end of the 18th century. It sounds cheerful and light. The latter description, however, does not apply to the soloist’s part. Apart from the required fast and agile fingerwork, Paradžik must also stand bent over his instrument for more than 20 minutes — something that is undoubtedly physically demanding.
The audience thanked him and the orchestra with generous applause and earned themselves a beautiful encore: Paradžik had specially arranged Fritz Kreisler’s famous piece “Liebesleid” — originally written for violin — for double bass with accompaniment by several string players for this concert tour.
A Magnificent Bruckner Interpretation
After the intermission, the atmosphere became more intense: guest conductor Marcus Bosch led the Philharmonic to an artistic high point with Anton Bruckner (1824–1896). The orchestra performed the nearly 70-minute original version of the Third Symphony, with which the composer initially had little success. The premiere in 1877, conducted by Bruckner himself, was a disaster. The composer subsequently revised the work, producing a second and a third version, each shorter than the previous one. Today, the third version is usually heard in concert halls, while the ultra-long original version is rarely performed.
The Right Conductor for the Right Symphony
With Marcus Bosch, the Philharmonic engaged the ideal conductor for this work. Since 2020, he has led the North German Philharmonic Rostock; he has been awarded the “Opus Klassik” twice; his operatic repertoire includes more than 100 music theatre works; and he was named one of the ten most important Bruckner conductors by the renowned classical music magazine English Gramophone.
Together with the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic, he fully lived up to these accolades. Conductor and orchestra functioned in perfect harmony, precise in every entry and pause, romantic and melodic in the gentle passages, powerful in the thunderous ones. “It’s incredible what Bosch brought out of the musicians,” remarked one concertgoer. The musicians succeeded in delivering an interpretation that, particularly in the first movement — which, with its length and variety, could itself be half a “normal” symphony — was deeply moving.
