BBCSSO, 26/04/2018
Smetana : Vltava and Šárka (from Má Vlast)
Chopin : Piano Concerto No. 2 (David Kadouch, piano)
Dvorák : Symphony No. 4
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Matthias Pintscher
I think about the only place one's ever likely to hear a complete performance of Má Vlast is in Prague, or maybe at the Proms if a Czech orchestra is invited. Even the individual symphonic poems, famous as some of them are, don't appear all that much in concert here, so this made for a very appealing start to the programme, the vivid landscapes of "Vltava" strongly contrasted to the more explicitly theatrical "Šárka". It seemed evident from the outset that Pintscher was enjoying this music - indeed, that remained true for the whole evening - and there were moments when he was a little in "Sorceror's Apprentice" mode, guiding the waters with his hands, with happier results than Goethe's feckless youth. After having sailed majestically past Vyšehrad Castle, it was off to the woods for a somewhat bloodthirsty tale of revenge in medieval days. I've heard the galloping theme near the start delivered a little more cleanly, and the timbre of the Principal Clarinet startled me slightly, seeming somewhat edgy, but the carousing, and the final massacre, were eloquently delivered.
When I originally booked my ticket for this concert, I hadn't seen David Kadouch at all, and wanted to remedy that. Then I got the chance to catch him in recital over the summer, and my impression was of a very talented pianist who left me slightly cold. The Chopin piano concerto tonight was beautifully played in many respects - Kadouch plays Chopin with just that kind of ballon in the fingertips, a sort of 'space' beneath the hands that shapes the quality of the sound, which I always appreciate in players - and yet in the end, I was not quite transported. The performance, ably supported by the orchestra, had elegance and grace, poetry and vivacity, but it was all at arm's length, I was never really caught up in it. I was more impressed with the C sharp minor Waltz Kadouch played as an encore, which displayed a very fine handling of rubato. I respect Kadouch's artistry, but there are just some musicians like that for me, I never quite 'get' them - he's in good company, I count Barenboim and Tan amongst those.
Dvorák's earlier symphonies are also rarely heard, and I was discovering the 4th tonight. It's quite a grandiose work, with heroic outer movements, and strong contrasts of mood. Although it's Dvorák's debt to Wagner that's usually pointed out - and rightly, at least in the 2nd movement - the 1st movement's opening section, which returns for the coda, struck me as very influenced by Liszt, and in particular "Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne". The second subject, however, was pure Dvorák, lilting and lyrical, and that play of contrasts between subjects was something that was a recurring feature in all movements. In the notes, there was a suggestion that the 3rd movement was originally destined for something else - unspecified - and I certainly got the impression that here, I was missing something, some epic tale of knight errantry, with perhaps a dash of magic thrown in. All the way through, this was a bit of a game of references, and Pintscher did not shy away from letting them shine through. The Liszt in the 1st movement, Tannhäuser in the 2nd, Meistersinger in the 3rd, and the initial presentation of the first subject of the last movement was not a million miles away from Šárka's galloping knights (it was Smetana who conducted the premiere), Dvorák is still assimilating, and in the orchestral writing, the winds have not yet acquired the really characteristic sound you find in later scores. However, the symphony is certainly not lacking in interest, all the more so when given as persuasive a reading as this.
[Next : 27th April]
Chopin : Piano Concerto No. 2 (David Kadouch, piano)
Dvorák : Symphony No. 4
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Matthias Pintscher
I think about the only place one's ever likely to hear a complete performance of Má Vlast is in Prague, or maybe at the Proms if a Czech orchestra is invited. Even the individual symphonic poems, famous as some of them are, don't appear all that much in concert here, so this made for a very appealing start to the programme, the vivid landscapes of "Vltava" strongly contrasted to the more explicitly theatrical "Šárka". It seemed evident from the outset that Pintscher was enjoying this music - indeed, that remained true for the whole evening - and there were moments when he was a little in "Sorceror's Apprentice" mode, guiding the waters with his hands, with happier results than Goethe's feckless youth. After having sailed majestically past Vyšehrad Castle, it was off to the woods for a somewhat bloodthirsty tale of revenge in medieval days. I've heard the galloping theme near the start delivered a little more cleanly, and the timbre of the Principal Clarinet startled me slightly, seeming somewhat edgy, but the carousing, and the final massacre, were eloquently delivered.
When I originally booked my ticket for this concert, I hadn't seen David Kadouch at all, and wanted to remedy that. Then I got the chance to catch him in recital over the summer, and my impression was of a very talented pianist who left me slightly cold. The Chopin piano concerto tonight was beautifully played in many respects - Kadouch plays Chopin with just that kind of ballon in the fingertips, a sort of 'space' beneath the hands that shapes the quality of the sound, which I always appreciate in players - and yet in the end, I was not quite transported. The performance, ably supported by the orchestra, had elegance and grace, poetry and vivacity, but it was all at arm's length, I was never really caught up in it. I was more impressed with the C sharp minor Waltz Kadouch played as an encore, which displayed a very fine handling of rubato. I respect Kadouch's artistry, but there are just some musicians like that for me, I never quite 'get' them - he's in good company, I count Barenboim and Tan amongst those.
Dvorák's earlier symphonies are also rarely heard, and I was discovering the 4th tonight. It's quite a grandiose work, with heroic outer movements, and strong contrasts of mood. Although it's Dvorák's debt to Wagner that's usually pointed out - and rightly, at least in the 2nd movement - the 1st movement's opening section, which returns for the coda, struck me as very influenced by Liszt, and in particular "Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne". The second subject, however, was pure Dvorák, lilting and lyrical, and that play of contrasts between subjects was something that was a recurring feature in all movements. In the notes, there was a suggestion that the 3rd movement was originally destined for something else - unspecified - and I certainly got the impression that here, I was missing something, some epic tale of knight errantry, with perhaps a dash of magic thrown in. All the way through, this was a bit of a game of references, and Pintscher did not shy away from letting them shine through. The Liszt in the 1st movement, Tannhäuser in the 2nd, Meistersinger in the 3rd, and the initial presentation of the first subject of the last movement was not a million miles away from Šárka's galloping knights (it was Smetana who conducted the premiere), Dvorák is still assimilating, and in the orchestral writing, the winds have not yet acquired the really characteristic sound you find in later scores. However, the symphony is certainly not lacking in interest, all the more so when given as persuasive a reading as this.
[Next : 27th April]