Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations received a standing ovation at Musikfest Berlin following an all-Mendelssohn programme, in a performance praised by the international press for its energy, freshness and exceptional refinement.
Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations achieved one of the first major successes of Musikfest Berlin 2026 on 29 August, with a concert in the main hall of the Berlin Philharmonie devoted entirely to Felix Mendelssohn.
Before a virtually full house, Savall conducted Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, “Scottish”, the overture The Hebrides, Op. 26, and Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, “Italian”, the latter in its 1834 version. The concert culminated in a standing ovation, prompting two encores: the Andante con moto from the Italian Symphony and the conclusion of the final movement of the Scottish.
©Fabian Schellhorn | Berliner Festspiele
Critical response has particularly highlighted the distinctive character of Savall’s interpretation and Le Concert des Nations’ work on period instruments, bringing a new perspective to the Romantic repertoire.
The French magazine Résonances Lyriques headlined its review “Jordi Savall: a work of exceptional finesse”, noting that the Catalan conductor and Le Concert des Nations were “acclaimed at the Berlin Festival.” Critic Philippe Olivier particularly praised the orchestra’s strings for their “work of detail of exceptional finesse”.
The Spanish magazine Scherzo also devoted an extensive review to the concert, under the headline “Jordi Savall brings energy and direction to Felix Mendelssohn’s musical journeys.” Paco Yáñez describes Savall as “one of the greatest conductors Spain has ever produced” and one of the country’s foremost ambassadors in the fields of “culture, ethics and humanism”.
The publication highlights the “intense and vibrant” character of the performance, as well as the precision of Le Concert des Nations and its respect for Mendelssohn’s indicated tempi. In the Scottish Symphony, it praises a performance that was “impeccable in terms of structure and dynamics” and which prompted a great ovation from the Berlin audience.
Particularly enthusiastic is Scherzo’s assessment of the “Italian” Symphony. It describes the Saltarello as full of “vitality” and “pure vibration”, and places Le Concert des Nations’ performance among “the finest historically informed versions” of the work.
The German press has also highlighted Savall’s presence at the festival. VAN Magazin presents the Mendelssohn programme as the first major audience success of this year’s Musikfest, describing Savall as a “great musician” and praising the nobility that characterises his artistic personality.
Meanwhile, tipBerlin recalls the fundamental role played by Jordi Savall and his “magnificent” Le Concert des Nations in making the Classical and Romantic repertoire “appear in a new light”, through interpretations in which symphonies could “hardly sound more lively and fresh”. The publication also describes Savall as a meticulous and “visionary conductor”.
Online Merker likewise emphasises the enthusiasm generated by the concert, reporting that not a single seat was left empty and describing the excitement among both Le Concert des Nations and the audience, which Savall acknowledged with two encores.
Mendelssohn renewed through period instruments
The Berlin programme allowed Savall to further explore his approach to Romanticism through the principles of historically informed performance. Le Concert des Nations performed Mendelssohn with a smaller ensemble than a modern symphony orchestra and with historical instruments and techniques, including gut strings, natural trumpets and horns, and period timpani. Résonances Lyriques highlights the distinctive, nuanced sound resulting from this approach.
The concert was also part of YOCPA – Youth Orchestra and Choir Professional Academies, a project led by the Fundació Centre Internacional de Música Antiga and co-funded by the European Union, which combines the experience of the professional musicians of Le Concert des Nations with the training and professional development of a new generation of performers.
The evening at the Philharmonie thus confirms the strong international reception of Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations’ work in the nineteenth-century repertoire, following years of research and historically informed performances of composers including Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Bruckner and Mendelssohn.
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