RSNO, 18/11/2017
Poulenc : Les biches - Suite
Saint-Saëns : Cello Concerto No. 1 (Aleksei Kiseliov, cello)
Rimsky-Korsakov : Scheherazade
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård
Les biches was written as a commission for the Ballets Russes, another example of Diaghilev's remarkable instinct for unearthing new talent, for Poulenc was relatively unknown at the time, and this ballet was a significant landmark in his career. Diaghilev's idea was for a sort of updated version of Les Sylphides - one of the ballets with which the Ballets Russes first made their mark in the West - but Poulenc took it in a different direction, and produced an ambiguously light-hearted work of clear neo-classical inspiration. The complete score requires chorus and vocal soloists, as well as the orchestra, but Poulenc soon drew a five-movement suite (around half the full score) for concert performance, and as the ballet does not really have any plot to speak of, the five movements require no additional explanation but stand comfortably on their own.
What was immediately striking tonight was the clarity of texture, despite a well-filled platform. Søndergård and the orchestra kept the playing feather-light, insouciance mixed with a gentle melancholy, never letting the Adagietto get too sentimental, and enjoying the juxtaposition of contrasts, of Poulenc's deliberate evocation of past styles (strong hints of Mozart or Scarlatti) alongside the jazz-tinged harmonies and rhythms of his present day.
That same lightness of touch carried through to the Saint-Saëns cello concerto, where the orchestra provided an intensely focused but beautifully balanced support to the soloist, Aleksei Kiseliov. In addition to being a concert soloist, Kiseliov is also the RSNO's Principal Cello, while Søndergård is, of course, the Music Director Designate, so this was very much a home team affair, and it felt like it. There was a sense of a special kinship born of the right sort of familiarity, a particular enjoyment in the act of music-making together, with good friends, and it lifted the performance to a distinctly higher level. Kiseliov's presentation was assured and passionate, his instrument's tone singing, and the line clean, a gem of a performance worthy of the polished setting offered by the orchestra.
Saint-Saëns too, in this concerto, indulged in a little pastiching, for the central section is a dainty minuet in pure 18th-century mode, and this created further links between the two pieces in the first half of the programme. By contrast, the Rimsky-Korsakov rolled out with its lavish, bejewelled orchestration, a much richer sound, enveloping the senses in its heady folds. For the most part, this was a very satisfying reading, with fine detailing in the winds, and an extremely well-calculated sense of pacing in each movement.
Yet, there were a few niggles. One was the trumpets, a little too soft toned for this music, instead of really zingy in sound, I've commented on that before with Russian music and this orchestra. Another thing was the bassoon solo at the start of the second movement, which I thought too idiosyncratic in timing. However, I said the exact same thing for the BBCSSO/Volkov performance earlier this year, and I don't believe in coincidences, not of this sort, so there's probably been some musicological developments of which I'm not aware, and I should maybe try to take a look at a new edition of the work at some time.
Finally, I still dream of hearing a performance in which the orchestra's Leader really manages to nail that final, floated, endless high E effortlessly. A live performance, of course, it's too easy to cheat in recordings! Guest Leader Gordan Trajkovic was, on the whole, a good, sweet-toned voice of Scheherazade, but those last pages were not ideal. However, it did not mar the overall impression of this splendid oriental fantasy.
[Next : 30th November]
Saint-Saëns : Cello Concerto No. 1 (Aleksei Kiseliov, cello)
Rimsky-Korsakov : Scheherazade
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård
Les biches was written as a commission for the Ballets Russes, another example of Diaghilev's remarkable instinct for unearthing new talent, for Poulenc was relatively unknown at the time, and this ballet was a significant landmark in his career. Diaghilev's idea was for a sort of updated version of Les Sylphides - one of the ballets with which the Ballets Russes first made their mark in the West - but Poulenc took it in a different direction, and produced an ambiguously light-hearted work of clear neo-classical inspiration. The complete score requires chorus and vocal soloists, as well as the orchestra, but Poulenc soon drew a five-movement suite (around half the full score) for concert performance, and as the ballet does not really have any plot to speak of, the five movements require no additional explanation but stand comfortably on their own.
What was immediately striking tonight was the clarity of texture, despite a well-filled platform. Søndergård and the orchestra kept the playing feather-light, insouciance mixed with a gentle melancholy, never letting the Adagietto get too sentimental, and enjoying the juxtaposition of contrasts, of Poulenc's deliberate evocation of past styles (strong hints of Mozart or Scarlatti) alongside the jazz-tinged harmonies and rhythms of his present day.
That same lightness of touch carried through to the Saint-Saëns cello concerto, where the orchestra provided an intensely focused but beautifully balanced support to the soloist, Aleksei Kiseliov. In addition to being a concert soloist, Kiseliov is also the RSNO's Principal Cello, while Søndergård is, of course, the Music Director Designate, so this was very much a home team affair, and it felt like it. There was a sense of a special kinship born of the right sort of familiarity, a particular enjoyment in the act of music-making together, with good friends, and it lifted the performance to a distinctly higher level. Kiseliov's presentation was assured and passionate, his instrument's tone singing, and the line clean, a gem of a performance worthy of the polished setting offered by the orchestra.
Saint-Saëns too, in this concerto, indulged in a little pastiching, for the central section is a dainty minuet in pure 18th-century mode, and this created further links between the two pieces in the first half of the programme. By contrast, the Rimsky-Korsakov rolled out with its lavish, bejewelled orchestration, a much richer sound, enveloping the senses in its heady folds. For the most part, this was a very satisfying reading, with fine detailing in the winds, and an extremely well-calculated sense of pacing in each movement.
Yet, there were a few niggles. One was the trumpets, a little too soft toned for this music, instead of really zingy in sound, I've commented on that before with Russian music and this orchestra. Another thing was the bassoon solo at the start of the second movement, which I thought too idiosyncratic in timing. However, I said the exact same thing for the BBCSSO/Volkov performance earlier this year, and I don't believe in coincidences, not of this sort, so there's probably been some musicological developments of which I'm not aware, and I should maybe try to take a look at a new edition of the work at some time.
Finally, I still dream of hearing a performance in which the orchestra's Leader really manages to nail that final, floated, endless high E effortlessly. A live performance, of course, it's too easy to cheat in recordings! Guest Leader Gordan Trajkovic was, on the whole, a good, sweet-toned voice of Scheherazade, but those last pages were not ideal. However, it did not mar the overall impression of this splendid oriental fantasy.
[Next : 30th November]