SCO, 08/12/2017
Brahms : Hungarian Dances Nos. 17, 18 & 21 (orch. Dvorák)
Dvorák : Piano Concerto (Lukáš Vondráček, piano)
Brahms : Symphony No. 3
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Joseph Swensen
Less than a week after hearing Dvorák's Violin Concerto, here was the other neglected concerto, that for piano, which was the first of the three to be written. Dvorák himself was a good, but not great pianist, and in writing the work came to the conclusion that he was not actually able to write a true virtuoso part for the piano, along the lines of, say, the Liszt concertos. If this end result is what he thought not writing virtuosically amounted to, I can only imagine with dread what "virtuoso" meant to him, because this is a fearsome piece of writing for the soloist.
The work as a whole is almost 40 minutes long, with the pianist playing nearly continuously. This is more a concertante symphony than a concerto, with quite complex thematic development, not to mention the scale of the piece, and the piano is not so much in a confrontational dialogue with the orchestra - which is the usual way of the Romantic concerto - as an integral part of it, a special colour added to the normal orchestral texture. I was, at times, reminded a little of Saint-Saëns in the piano writing, though I suspect the notes don't fall as readily under hand as with the French composer.
Lukáš Vondráček, replacing Sir András Schiff, is the 2016 Queen Elizabeth Competition Winner. I can't say he made the piano part look effortless - I doubt anyone could do that - but it was clear that he was certainly up to the technical demands. Musically, though, despite several very appealing moments, neither he nor the orchestra ever quite achieved the kind of persuasive arguments that could lift this piece from an intriguing curiosity to the level of forgotten masterwork. Like anyone who has ever been interested in the Dvorák Piano Concerto, I have the Richter/Kleiber recording, which shows just what can be done with this piece, and those heights were still a little way off in tonight's performance, though its heart was in the right place.
The concert opened with three of Brahms's Hungarian Dances, from the last set, delightfully orchestrated by Dvorák, delivered with a fresh charm and grace by Swensen and the orchestra, and it ended with Brahms's 3rd Symphony. I don't usually go for the Brahms symphonies when I pick my concerts - the appeal tonight was the concerto - and when I hear them, it's normally on recordings, and with the Rolls Royces of the orchestral world, such as the Berlin Philharmonic or the Concertgebouw, playing. It therefore took a few minutes' worth of adjustment to these smaller forces, and I never did quite get over the leaner string sound, compared to the velvety sweep of the big symphony orchestras. I also found the first movement a little too leisurely at the start, not quite 'con brio' enough, though it acquired more of a forward drive as the movement progressed. However, some fine playing from the wind section, and especially from Principal Horn Alec Frank-Gemmill illuminated the last two movements particularly, and the overall effect was satisfactory.
[Next : 14th December]
Dvorák : Piano Concerto (Lukáš Vondráček, piano)
Brahms : Symphony No. 3
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Joseph Swensen
Less than a week after hearing Dvorák's Violin Concerto, here was the other neglected concerto, that for piano, which was the first of the three to be written. Dvorák himself was a good, but not great pianist, and in writing the work came to the conclusion that he was not actually able to write a true virtuoso part for the piano, along the lines of, say, the Liszt concertos. If this end result is what he thought not writing virtuosically amounted to, I can only imagine with dread what "virtuoso" meant to him, because this is a fearsome piece of writing for the soloist.
The work as a whole is almost 40 minutes long, with the pianist playing nearly continuously. This is more a concertante symphony than a concerto, with quite complex thematic development, not to mention the scale of the piece, and the piano is not so much in a confrontational dialogue with the orchestra - which is the usual way of the Romantic concerto - as an integral part of it, a special colour added to the normal orchestral texture. I was, at times, reminded a little of Saint-Saëns in the piano writing, though I suspect the notes don't fall as readily under hand as with the French composer.
Lukáš Vondráček, replacing Sir András Schiff, is the 2016 Queen Elizabeth Competition Winner. I can't say he made the piano part look effortless - I doubt anyone could do that - but it was clear that he was certainly up to the technical demands. Musically, though, despite several very appealing moments, neither he nor the orchestra ever quite achieved the kind of persuasive arguments that could lift this piece from an intriguing curiosity to the level of forgotten masterwork. Like anyone who has ever been interested in the Dvorák Piano Concerto, I have the Richter/Kleiber recording, which shows just what can be done with this piece, and those heights were still a little way off in tonight's performance, though its heart was in the right place.
The concert opened with three of Brahms's Hungarian Dances, from the last set, delightfully orchestrated by Dvorák, delivered with a fresh charm and grace by Swensen and the orchestra, and it ended with Brahms's 3rd Symphony. I don't usually go for the Brahms symphonies when I pick my concerts - the appeal tonight was the concerto - and when I hear them, it's normally on recordings, and with the Rolls Royces of the orchestral world, such as the Berlin Philharmonic or the Concertgebouw, playing. It therefore took a few minutes' worth of adjustment to these smaller forces, and I never did quite get over the leaner string sound, compared to the velvety sweep of the big symphony orchestras. I also found the first movement a little too leisurely at the start, not quite 'con brio' enough, though it acquired more of a forward drive as the movement progressed. However, some fine playing from the wind section, and especially from Principal Horn Alec Frank-Gemmill illuminated the last two movements particularly, and the overall effect was satisfactory.
[Next : 14th December]