Siegfried, LPO and Vladimir Jurowski, Royal Festival Hall, review: a fleet-footed approach to the 'scherzo' of the Ring cycle

Building towards the start of 2021, when it will perform the complete Ring cycle twice, the London Philharmonic Orchestra has reached the third of the four operas that make up Wagner’s tetralogy.

Siegfried is often described – using the analogy of a four-movement symphony – as the “scherzo” of the cycle, and the coolly charismatic Vladimir Jurowski conducted it very much in that spirit, giving a fierce, fleet-footed performance.

Next year’s cycles will be Jurowski’s swansong as the LPO’s principal conductor, after which he heads off to become music director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Approaching that big new job methodically, he is consolidating his grasp of core Munich repertoire such as the Ring, and this Southbank concert augurs well for his future on Maximillianstrasse.

The LPO may still be working its way through the Ring, but it spends a quarter of the year as an opera orchestra, in the pit at Glyndebourne, and here it sounded authentically Wagnerian.

Despite a hard-working cast, this was in many ways the orchestra’s evening (and afternoon). With no pit to hide them, Jurowski and his expanded band (including six harps) gave us a masterclass in Wagnerian orchestration. The conductor laid out the dark opening with forensic precision as well as great intensity – only one minute into the six-hour performance, the principal cellist snapped a string, but collegial help smoothed things over.