15th September 2024, Frank Pommer, Die Rheinpfalz
“The State Philharmonic’s “Modern Times” festival is designed precisely for works that you can rarely, perhaps only experience once in your entire life, live in a concert hall. They are key works of modernism, some of which require an insane amount of effort. In Messiaen’s case, there is a huge orchestra – reinforced by ten percussionists who play every conceivable percussion instrument. And then there is the part of the solo piano, which in Ludwigshafen was taken over by David Kadouch, who stepped in at short notice for Joseph Moog. But because that isn’t enough, an electronic instrument is also used, a kind of forerunner of the keyboard: Ondes Martenot, played by Thomas Bloch in the Pfalzbau.
The boss himself stood at the podium of the State Philharmonic: Michael Francis acted with absolute confidence and avoided any pose. To put it bluntly: he simply held the show together, which is difficult enough in this piece, which is at times rhythmically quite complicated. The musicians of the State Philharmonic were not only highly concentrated, they also threw themselves passionately into the magnificent and emphatic moments of this music.”
