St George's Bristol
The Oxford Philomusica may be an ensemble that wouldn't seem out of place in an episode of Inspector Morse, but this professional group was founded 10 years ago and is currently enjoying a boost thanks to its star-performer collaborations. They don't get much starrier than András Schiff, whose all-Haydn programme balanced solo piano works with a little-heard concerto directed by Schiff from the keyboard, and a symphony conducted on the podium.
Schiff comes from the non-interventionist school of conducting: in the Piano Concerto in D, Hob:XVIII:11, his tightly contained gestures concentrated on tempo and rhythm, with avuncular nods for solo entries; his most precise focus remained firmly on Haydn's sparkling passage work. Pairing the concerto with the much later Symphony No 104 in the same key of D major helped Schiff point up Haydn's increasingly elaborate methods and wit. The Philomusica's playing was well disciplined, realising Schiff's requirement of fine detail, though was perhaps slightly too big a sound for St George's. By the symphony's spirited Allegro finale – the joie de vivre of Haydn's stay in London palpable – Schiff was clearly relaxed, endearing himself to players and audience by walking through the ranks to thank individual musicans at the end.
Perhaps inevitably, his piano solos stood out overall. Having opened with the Fantasia in C, Hob:XVII:4, by turns capricious and wholly serious, and the G minor Sonata, Hob:XVI:44, with its unusually intense Allegretto minuet, it was the clarity and definition of one of Haydn's greatest creations, the Variations in F minor, Hob:XVII:6, that formed the emotional crux of the evening. Schiff is sometimes frustrating for sounding more fastidious than expressive, but here sensitivity was paramount, and his control of the coda's culminating drama showed profound sympathy.