Prophets and Illuminations

Andris Nelsons has been a regular guest conductor with the Berlin Philharmonic for the last several years and, if the evenings spent in his company have been unpredictable – veering between controlled madness and transcendent inspiration – they have never been boring; more often than not they err on the side of greatness. This was certainly the case with his most recent Berlin appearance which teamed him with pianist Emanuel Ax for performances of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14 and Strauss’ Burleske, followed by a sometimes disorienting, sometimes triumphant Also sprach Zarathustra that was all the more thrilling for its occasional flirtations with chaos. But even the mighty Zarathustra had trouble competing with the programme’s opening work, which was not only a highlight of the evening but also arguably the most infectiously delightful…