No one would argue that
Bernard Haitink and the
London Symphony's May 2003 performances of
Brahms' Symphony No. 2 and Double Concerto were not splendid.
Haitink's conducting is poised and alert and the drive of his fast tempos is balanced by the repose of his slow tempos. The
London Symphony plays with assured virtuosity and affectionate enthusiasm for the conductor and for the music. The soloist in the Double Concerto -- violinist Gordon Nikolitch and cellist Tim Hugh -- are robust, passionate, and vigorous. The audience at the Barbican that night would surely have felt they got their money's worth.