SCO, 19/01/2018
Martin : Passacaille
Britten : Les Illuminations (Sarah Fox, soprano)
Purcell : Prelude to "Rejoice in the Lord Alway" (arr. Manze)
Vaughan Williams : Symphony No. 5
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Andrew Manze
This was a beautifully constructed concert, the kind of intelligent, thoughtful programming that really adds that little extra something to an evening. Three out of four pieces for strings alone, three out of four pieces English music, three out of four written at around the same point in time, and everything coming full circle, beginning and ending with a passacaglia movement.
The Martin piece was originally composed for organ, in 1944, his only solo work for that instrument. He subsequently orchestrated it, twice, over the next two decades. This version for strings was the first orchestral version. It seems to me, oddly, a more sombre work in this form than in the original, and the counterpoint appears more complex. Manze and the orchestra gave a sober, restrained interpretation.
The contrast with the darting lines of the opening "Fanfare" of Britten's Les Illuminations could not have been greater, strings zipping about with electric urgency, bright and alert. Sarah Fox sang with a fine, luminous timbre, voice soaring effortlessly over the restless hum of the strings. The problem was with her diction. It is, partly, a problem inherent to the work itself. The strange texts of Les Illuminations are voluntarily obscure, Symbolist poetry concocted while Rimbaud was, basically, high as a kite. As a result, the text flitters between sense and sound in a euphoric combination which clearly spoke to Britten, as he reproduces the effect startlingly well in his word setting. It is, as a result, not exactly idiomatic, he was as often setting the sound of the words as the words themselves, which does make it difficult to render them intelligible in performance. Fox's French, in itself, is perfectly respectable, she has a decent accent, but she was not always able to project the words clearly, and while this is not as critical an issue as it might be with, say, a performance of Les nuits d'été, it was still a minor irritant.
The second half of the concert brought the remainder of the orchestra to the platform for a performance of Vaughan Williams's 5th Symphony. Andrew Manze is an ardent defender of the RVW symphonies; he has conducted at least two complete cycles in recent years, one with the BBCSSO. A complete cycle is not possible for the SCO, the orchestration of most of them is too heavy for this orchestra, but the 5th is the quietest, most discreet of the symphonies, and has an accordingly more restrained orchestration. It was preceded, ingeniously, by an arrangement by Manze of the Prelude to the "Bell" Anthem, by Purcell, so called, no doubt, as the pealing of bells is immediately evoked from the very first bar. Bells pealing is something that often occurs in Vaughan Williams's music - it comes up in the last movement of this symphony - and Manze's arrangement had clearly been made with this juxtaposition in mind, for it acquired that kind of "haze" of string sound that is also a distinct characteristic of Vaughan Williams's, and the Prelude drew to a close on a pedal low C, which permitted it to segue straight into the symphony.
Manze in Vaughan Williams is rarely less than persuasive, and frequently inspired, and it was the case again tonight. Lustrous playing from the strings, noble brass, gleaming winds, expansive and expressive phrasing, music that breathed profoundly, spaciously, with calm and sure purpose. The horn and cor anglais solos in the third movement were as eloquent as could be desired. Created in 1943, this was music of hope in the darkest of times, and in a performance of this calibre, its message has not dimmed.
[Next : 22nd January]
Britten : Les Illuminations (Sarah Fox, soprano)
Purcell : Prelude to "Rejoice in the Lord Alway" (arr. Manze)
Vaughan Williams : Symphony No. 5
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Andrew Manze
This was a beautifully constructed concert, the kind of intelligent, thoughtful programming that really adds that little extra something to an evening. Three out of four pieces for strings alone, three out of four pieces English music, three out of four written at around the same point in time, and everything coming full circle, beginning and ending with a passacaglia movement.
The Martin piece was originally composed for organ, in 1944, his only solo work for that instrument. He subsequently orchestrated it, twice, over the next two decades. This version for strings was the first orchestral version. It seems to me, oddly, a more sombre work in this form than in the original, and the counterpoint appears more complex. Manze and the orchestra gave a sober, restrained interpretation.
The contrast with the darting lines of the opening "Fanfare" of Britten's Les Illuminations could not have been greater, strings zipping about with electric urgency, bright and alert. Sarah Fox sang with a fine, luminous timbre, voice soaring effortlessly over the restless hum of the strings. The problem was with her diction. It is, partly, a problem inherent to the work itself. The strange texts of Les Illuminations are voluntarily obscure, Symbolist poetry concocted while Rimbaud was, basically, high as a kite. As a result, the text flitters between sense and sound in a euphoric combination which clearly spoke to Britten, as he reproduces the effect startlingly well in his word setting. It is, as a result, not exactly idiomatic, he was as often setting the sound of the words as the words themselves, which does make it difficult to render them intelligible in performance. Fox's French, in itself, is perfectly respectable, she has a decent accent, but she was not always able to project the words clearly, and while this is not as critical an issue as it might be with, say, a performance of Les nuits d'été, it was still a minor irritant.
The second half of the concert brought the remainder of the orchestra to the platform for a performance of Vaughan Williams's 5th Symphony. Andrew Manze is an ardent defender of the RVW symphonies; he has conducted at least two complete cycles in recent years, one with the BBCSSO. A complete cycle is not possible for the SCO, the orchestration of most of them is too heavy for this orchestra, but the 5th is the quietest, most discreet of the symphonies, and has an accordingly more restrained orchestration. It was preceded, ingeniously, by an arrangement by Manze of the Prelude to the "Bell" Anthem, by Purcell, so called, no doubt, as the pealing of bells is immediately evoked from the very first bar. Bells pealing is something that often occurs in Vaughan Williams's music - it comes up in the last movement of this symphony - and Manze's arrangement had clearly been made with this juxtaposition in mind, for it acquired that kind of "haze" of string sound that is also a distinct characteristic of Vaughan Williams's, and the Prelude drew to a close on a pedal low C, which permitted it to segue straight into the symphony.
Manze in Vaughan Williams is rarely less than persuasive, and frequently inspired, and it was the case again tonight. Lustrous playing from the strings, noble brass, gleaming winds, expansive and expressive phrasing, music that breathed profoundly, spaciously, with calm and sure purpose. The horn and cor anglais solos in the third movement were as eloquent as could be desired. Created in 1943, this was music of hope in the darkest of times, and in a performance of this calibre, its message has not dimmed.
[Next : 22nd January]