Simon Rattle recently conducted an all-Schumann evening at the Royal Albert Hall, leading the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra through three works often described as “problem” pieces. The programme featured the overture to the opera Genoveva, the Violin Concerto, and the Second Symphony.
Isabelle Faust was the soloist for the Violin Concerto, marking only its sixth performance at the Proms. Rattle conducted without a podium, providing an attentive partnership to Faust's performance, which included dynamic shading and delicate trills.
The evening also saw a performance of Schumann’s Second Symphony. Rattle and the orchestra delivered a crisp reading of the symphony, highlighting its contrasting elements and concluding with a celebratory finale.