Young Dutch cellist Harriet Krijgh is a shooting star on the classical music scene, and conductor Sir Neville Marriner (91 years of age) probably the longest standing leader in the world wide orchestra landscape. In the concert hall the two have just made a guest performance together with the late romantic cello concerto of the Britisch composer Edward Elgar. This constellation reminds of the epoch-making encounter between French cellist Jacqueline du Pre and British conductor Sir John Barbirolli in the 60’s. Here once again a young soloist and an old orchestra master gave new shape to the Elgar concert. Remarkable is too that Harriet Krijgh with her long, wavy blond hair also physically resembles Jacqueline du Pre somewhat.
The Academy of St Martin in the Fields makes music as fresh and blithesome under guidance of their founder as he conducts. Marriner still swings his conductor’s baton while standing and chooses dashing tempi like in his younger years. That is again and again astonishing. Even more impressive however is the technically perfect as well as highly sensitive playing of the cellist, who elicits from her instrument the smallest color nuances and a piano of transcendental melodiousness. We will hear about this musician many times to come.
