R.I.P. Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

Conductors don't seem to have a retirement age; they just keep conducting until the final beat. Arthur Fiedler led the Boston Pops from 1930 until his death in 1979 at the age of 84. Leopold Stokowski, the maestro from Walt Disney's Fantasia, conducted with willful vigor until shortly before his death at the age of 95. Spanish conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos had a contract with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra as their principal conductor through 2015, but he put down his baton earlier this year due to failing health. He was meant to conduct the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood this summer, but he succumbed to cancer on June 11th, aged 80. Canadian conductor Jacques Lacombe stepped in to lead the Tanglewood program of Rachmaninoff and Verdi.

Frühbeck was also scheduled to lead the current two weekends at Symphony Hall. After his death the BSO website listed the conductor for these programs as TBA. Finally, six weeks ago the BSO announced in a press release that Swiss conductor Thierry Fischer would conduct the first weekend, keeping the same program of Brahms's Piano Concerto No 1 and Carl Nielsen's Symphony No 4, 'The Inextinguishable'. Welsh conductor Bramwell Tovey seems an appropriate choice to take over next week's program of vocal works, joining Welsh soloists Bryn Terfel and Rosemary Joshua. 

For tonight's concert Maestro Fischer came to the stage with Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder, and together they set to work on the Brahms concerto. Fischer had sharp arm gestures that got the right orchestral snap out of the first movement. I was again seated above the violins, so I got to look over Mr Buchbinder's shoulder while he played, his hands reflected in the polished keyboard cover. It was a pleasure to watch the economical fluidity of his fingers produce such big results. The second movement was more of a piano meditation decorated by wind ensembles and a tender viola solo. The piano launched the third movement and kept the energy driving to a rousing finish. Although Symphony Hall was only at quarter capacity this evening, the audience applauded as if it were a full house.

Nielsen's symphony broke like a calving glacier, with a wall of brass and shuddering violas. The continuous four movements were a cascade of textures, with wind chorales, plucked strings, soaring strings and dueling timpanists stage left and stage right. It was interesting to see how many of the musicians fitted ear plugs in and out during the performance. The conductor and orchestra earned another thunderous ovation, marking an auspicious debut for Thierry Fischer.