RSNO, 13/05/2017
Prokofiev : Romeo and Juliet (excerpts)
Tchaikovsky : The Sleeping Beauty (excerpts)
Ravel : Ma Mère l'Oye - Suite
Stravinsky : The Firebird - Suite (1945)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Andrew Litton
American conductor Andrew Litton used to be something of a household name in this country. He was the principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, right at the start of his career, and could be heard frequently on the radio. Although his career is now largely outside the UK, he has kept many ties, though it's been a very long time since he last played with the RSNO. However, amongst other things, within the last couple of years he became the principal conductor of New York City Ballet, and so we got this "Night at the Ballet" programme, an entertaining reminder that the ballet is not just about the dance, but that there's some thunderingly good music in there too!
Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky both made suites for concert performance of their own ballets (Prokofiev made three of them for Romeo and Juliet!), but tonight's excerpts were compiled by Litton himself. The Prokofiev began with a bustling "Morning Dance", before the more familiar minatory chords of "Montagues and Capulets" leading into the "Dance of the Knights", after which came the Balcony Scene, and finally the "Death of Tybalt", with its shattering climax. If there was a problem, it's a small one that I find happens quite a lot with Western orchestras, and that I've mentioned before. The Russian orchestras traditionally favour a faintly acidulous timbre for their brass, notably the trumpets - you can hear it quite distinctly in the Bolshoi orchestra in their broadcasts - and without that, the trumpets can sound a little soft-grained, not really providing that sharp ping of sound the music often demands. The further you get into the 20th Century, the more this is true, Prokofiev and Shostakovich particularly suffer if that soupçon of zest is not present, but it even applies to Tchaikovsky to some extent. At any rate, I was looking for a slightly more piercing edge to the brass sound than I got, and missed it.
It's less of a problem with older composers, but even in the Sleeping Beauty numbers, some of the climaxes could have done with a touch more edge - the climax of the Rose Adagio in particular. However, the playing throughout the Tchaikovsky was generally excellent, and it was nice to have a selection of numbers other than those of the standard Tchaikovsky suite. Hence Litton omitted anything from the Prologue altogether, but put in the two Variations of the Act 1 Pas d'action (following on from the Rose Adagio), the Act 3 pas de deux Adagio, and the Finale and Apotheosis. Guest Leader Sharron Roffman, on loan from the Toulouse Capitole orchestra, made a fine impression in Aurora's Variation (and, indeed, everywhere else in tonight's programme where the Leader was placed in the spotlight).
I had thought Litton was maybe cheating just a little with the Ravel. The work began life as a five-movement suite for piano four-hands, which he then orchestrated, and that is what was played tonight. Shortly after that, he expanded the orchestral version into a ballet, but there remains no trace of that original ballet. I've never known who choreographed it, I've never seen a ballet on Ma Mère L'Oye, nor known anyone who has. It's therefore very hard for me to think of it as a ballet. However, apparently Jerome Robbins made a version for NYCB in the 70s, which is still very much in their repertoire, of which Litton must be well aware, so its inclusion makes more sense now. I found most of the reading of the suite good, but not really enthralling, until the "Conversation of Beauty and the Beast", which suddenly turned enchanting, full of wistful grace and tenderness, and the sense of wonderment held through to the pealing bells of the conclusion.
Hearing Ma Mère l'Oye and The Firebird back-to-back like this, it was actually quite startling how many similarities there are. There's no confusing them, of course, yet they seem to stand almost as mirror images of each other; the evocations of nature, the sense of magic, a certain voluntary archaism, and the triumphant bells of their respective conclusions, find echoes from one score in the other. Ravel is a water-colourist, though, subtle and reserved, while the young Stravinsky, at least, was bolder, more exotic, his colours stronger. The Firebird, even in this last version, thirty-odd years after its creation, reminds you that Stravinsky's master was another brilliant orchestrator, Rimsky-Korsakov. The fairy-tale world of The Firebird owes much to scores like Sadko or The Golden Cockerel, and the oriental flavour of the score. All of this was brought out splendidly by Litton and the orchestra in a clear, vivid performance that provided a suitably exultant conclusion to a highly enjoyable concert.
[Next : 16th May]
Tchaikovsky : The Sleeping Beauty (excerpts)
Ravel : Ma Mère l'Oye - Suite
Stravinsky : The Firebird - Suite (1945)
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Andrew Litton
American conductor Andrew Litton used to be something of a household name in this country. He was the principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, right at the start of his career, and could be heard frequently on the radio. Although his career is now largely outside the UK, he has kept many ties, though it's been a very long time since he last played with the RSNO. However, amongst other things, within the last couple of years he became the principal conductor of New York City Ballet, and so we got this "Night at the Ballet" programme, an entertaining reminder that the ballet is not just about the dance, but that there's some thunderingly good music in there too!
Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky both made suites for concert performance of their own ballets (Prokofiev made three of them for Romeo and Juliet!), but tonight's excerpts were compiled by Litton himself. The Prokofiev began with a bustling "Morning Dance", before the more familiar minatory chords of "Montagues and Capulets" leading into the "Dance of the Knights", after which came the Balcony Scene, and finally the "Death of Tybalt", with its shattering climax. If there was a problem, it's a small one that I find happens quite a lot with Western orchestras, and that I've mentioned before. The Russian orchestras traditionally favour a faintly acidulous timbre for their brass, notably the trumpets - you can hear it quite distinctly in the Bolshoi orchestra in their broadcasts - and without that, the trumpets can sound a little soft-grained, not really providing that sharp ping of sound the music often demands. The further you get into the 20th Century, the more this is true, Prokofiev and Shostakovich particularly suffer if that soupçon of zest is not present, but it even applies to Tchaikovsky to some extent. At any rate, I was looking for a slightly more piercing edge to the brass sound than I got, and missed it.
It's less of a problem with older composers, but even in the Sleeping Beauty numbers, some of the climaxes could have done with a touch more edge - the climax of the Rose Adagio in particular. However, the playing throughout the Tchaikovsky was generally excellent, and it was nice to have a selection of numbers other than those of the standard Tchaikovsky suite. Hence Litton omitted anything from the Prologue altogether, but put in the two Variations of the Act 1 Pas d'action (following on from the Rose Adagio), the Act 3 pas de deux Adagio, and the Finale and Apotheosis. Guest Leader Sharron Roffman, on loan from the Toulouse Capitole orchestra, made a fine impression in Aurora's Variation (and, indeed, everywhere else in tonight's programme where the Leader was placed in the spotlight).
I had thought Litton was maybe cheating just a little with the Ravel. The work began life as a five-movement suite for piano four-hands, which he then orchestrated, and that is what was played tonight. Shortly after that, he expanded the orchestral version into a ballet, but there remains no trace of that original ballet. I've never known who choreographed it, I've never seen a ballet on Ma Mère L'Oye, nor known anyone who has. It's therefore very hard for me to think of it as a ballet. However, apparently Jerome Robbins made a version for NYCB in the 70s, which is still very much in their repertoire, of which Litton must be well aware, so its inclusion makes more sense now. I found most of the reading of the suite good, but not really enthralling, until the "Conversation of Beauty and the Beast", which suddenly turned enchanting, full of wistful grace and tenderness, and the sense of wonderment held through to the pealing bells of the conclusion.
Hearing Ma Mère l'Oye and The Firebird back-to-back like this, it was actually quite startling how many similarities there are. There's no confusing them, of course, yet they seem to stand almost as mirror images of each other; the evocations of nature, the sense of magic, a certain voluntary archaism, and the triumphant bells of their respective conclusions, find echoes from one score in the other. Ravel is a water-colourist, though, subtle and reserved, while the young Stravinsky, at least, was bolder, more exotic, his colours stronger. The Firebird, even in this last version, thirty-odd years after its creation, reminds you that Stravinsky's master was another brilliant orchestrator, Rimsky-Korsakov. The fairy-tale world of The Firebird owes much to scores like Sadko or The Golden Cockerel, and the oriental flavour of the score. All of this was brought out splendidly by Litton and the orchestra in a clear, vivid performance that provided a suitably exultant conclusion to a highly enjoyable concert.
[Next : 16th May]