SCO, 15/12/2017
Adams : Son of Chamber Symphony
Barber : Violin Concerto (Benjamin Bielman, violin)
Schubert : Symphony No. 5
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Karina Canellakis
On first hearing the title Son of Chamber Symphony, I have to admit that my mind went straight to Son of Sam, the infamous New York City serial killer of the mid-70s. John Adams has a strong and active sense of humour, it wasn't beyond the bounds of possibility, but no, he simply didn't want the boring title of Chamber Symphony No. 2. Created in 2007, a co-commission from Stamford University and the San Francisco Ballet, it's clear from the start that Adams was writing with the thought clearly in mind of future choreography - the outer movements are intensely rhythmical, music to move to, and the choreographed version is appropriately entitled Joyride. It's a piece I've not heard before, and evidently complex. The SCO gave a sharp, crisp performance, though the first movement outstayed its welcome somewhat, but the last had a bright, vital, bounding energy to it.
It was interesting to hear the Barber Violin Concerto back-to-back (so to speak) with the Korngold. I regularly get these two concertos mixed up (at least in the first two movements) if catching up mid-stream. Hearing them both at 24 hours' interval, I've come to the conclusion that the work I actually want to hear is the first movement of the Barber with the second and third of the Korngold! That aside, the other interesting thing about this concerto was that I heard it in this same hall last year (with a different orchestra), and thought at the time that the violinist had been slightly overpowered by the orchestral forces. The same thing happened tonight, which means it's not the soloist, but the writing - unlike the Korngold, where you can always clearly hear the soloist. Neither Barber nor Korngold were 'naturals' in writing for the violin, but there are, clearly, a few technical issues in Barber's composition that go some way to explaining the original dispute with its intended creator. These matters aside, Benjamin Bielman displayed a suitably lush tone for this rhapsodic concerto, and delivered the whirlwind last movement with appropriate brio.
Schubert may only have been 19 when he wrote his 5th Symphony, but he was already more than halfway through his short life, and was a prolific composer, so it's not exactly the work of a novice. When you compare it to Beethoven's 5th, which predates it by over a decade - never mind what Beethoven was writing at the same time (he had entered his final period of composition) - it's an odd piece, almost backward-looking, Mozart's 42nd Symphony in all but name. Certainly Schubert was very focused on Mozart at the time, and the influence, albeit refracted through the lens of Schubert's particular brand of lyricism, is clear, both structurally, and in the very light texture of the orchestra, without clarinets, timps, or brass (not counting the horns which come under the winds section). None of which detracts from the charm of this symphony, fully and beautifully rendered by Kanellakis and the orchestra in a lovely, clear reading of infinite grace.
[Next : 12th January. Officially, at any rate - if anything catches my fancy in between, there may be something before then, but it's not promising! Season's Greetings to everyone]
Barber : Violin Concerto (Benjamin Bielman, violin)
Schubert : Symphony No. 5
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Karina Canellakis
On first hearing the title Son of Chamber Symphony, I have to admit that my mind went straight to Son of Sam, the infamous New York City serial killer of the mid-70s. John Adams has a strong and active sense of humour, it wasn't beyond the bounds of possibility, but no, he simply didn't want the boring title of Chamber Symphony No. 2. Created in 2007, a co-commission from Stamford University and the San Francisco Ballet, it's clear from the start that Adams was writing with the thought clearly in mind of future choreography - the outer movements are intensely rhythmical, music to move to, and the choreographed version is appropriately entitled Joyride. It's a piece I've not heard before, and evidently complex. The SCO gave a sharp, crisp performance, though the first movement outstayed its welcome somewhat, but the last had a bright, vital, bounding energy to it.
It was interesting to hear the Barber Violin Concerto back-to-back (so to speak) with the Korngold. I regularly get these two concertos mixed up (at least in the first two movements) if catching up mid-stream. Hearing them both at 24 hours' interval, I've come to the conclusion that the work I actually want to hear is the first movement of the Barber with the second and third of the Korngold! That aside, the other interesting thing about this concerto was that I heard it in this same hall last year (with a different orchestra), and thought at the time that the violinist had been slightly overpowered by the orchestral forces. The same thing happened tonight, which means it's not the soloist, but the writing - unlike the Korngold, where you can always clearly hear the soloist. Neither Barber nor Korngold were 'naturals' in writing for the violin, but there are, clearly, a few technical issues in Barber's composition that go some way to explaining the original dispute with its intended creator. These matters aside, Benjamin Bielman displayed a suitably lush tone for this rhapsodic concerto, and delivered the whirlwind last movement with appropriate brio.
Schubert may only have been 19 when he wrote his 5th Symphony, but he was already more than halfway through his short life, and was a prolific composer, so it's not exactly the work of a novice. When you compare it to Beethoven's 5th, which predates it by over a decade - never mind what Beethoven was writing at the same time (he had entered his final period of composition) - it's an odd piece, almost backward-looking, Mozart's 42nd Symphony in all but name. Certainly Schubert was very focused on Mozart at the time, and the influence, albeit refracted through the lens of Schubert's particular brand of lyricism, is clear, both structurally, and in the very light texture of the orchestra, without clarinets, timps, or brass (not counting the horns which come under the winds section). None of which detracts from the charm of this symphony, fully and beautifully rendered by Kanellakis and the orchestra in a lovely, clear reading of infinite grace.
[Next : 12th January. Officially, at any rate - if anything catches my fancy in between, there may be something before then, but it's not promising! Season's Greetings to everyone]