SCO, 12/04/2019
Ginastera : Variaciones Concertantes
Ravel : Piano Concerto in G (Bertrand Chamayou, piano)
Beethoven : Symphony No. 4
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Josep Pons
Exposure to Alberto Ginastera's music, at least in this country, tends to be restricted to his two early ballet scores, Panambí, and, above all, Estancia. Yet he was a fairly prolific composer of varied genres, and deserves to be better known beyond the Americas. These Variaciones Concertantes were written in 1953, they belong to his middle period, what he called "Subjective Nationalism", where the influences of his native Argentina are not so much displayed openly as mined for inspiration, and redeveloped in a more personal style. The Variaciones Concertantes are a theme and eleven variations that showcase, movement by movement, various orchestral soloists or sections, in an engaging variety of styles. The theme is presented strikingly by cello and harp, then worked through in various moods and tempi, to show off the orchestra and its players. The SCO is particularly well suited to this kind of exercise, and the result was engaging, but particular mention goes to Simone van der Giessen in the "Dramatic variation with viola", for the medieval plangency she brought to her solo.
As if affected and influenced by the Ginastera, Pons brought a similar type of highlighting to the orchestral part of the Ravel concerto, so that we were constantly picking up individual instruments, or small sections, alongside the piano soloist, during the performance. It made for a bit of a bumpy ride, but the outer movements of the concerto are madcap, helter-skelter affairs anyway, so it wasn't entirely inappropriate. Bertrand Chamayou was over-pedalling a little in the first five minutes or so, but then adjusted to allow his limpid articulation of the rapid runs to come through clearly. Where he was a little more idiosyncratic than the norm was in the slow movement, which he played with a good deal of rubato, in a a piece which already has its rubato built-in. It was a curious effect; the left hand advanced almost falteringly, like a convalescent going for a first walk after long months of rehabilitation, while the right hand, the melody, led it gently forward, an interesting view, but not quite as poetic as one might like in this music.
Beethoven's 4th Symphony is frequently overshadowed by its towering neighbours, and at first sight seems a regression to the more Haydn-inspired style of the first two symphonies. However, that's a misconception. Beethoven was already at work on the 5th, when he put it aside to write the 4th on a commission, and the boundary-expanding techniques explored in the 3rd and 5th Symphonies can also be found here, notably in the slow, minor-key introduction, which seems like it needs a good deal of coaxing before it finally decides to explode into its true key, a sunny B-flat major. The second movement, with its ticking heart that gradually becomes a real, beating heart under the influence of the melody, gave the SCO winds in particular the opportunity to show off some really beautiful tone quality. The last two movements, taken at a cracking pace, were an exhilarating ride, a little rough around the edges on occasion, but nothing to cause any serious concern. This seems to be characteristic of Pons's concerts; sometimes a little unorthodox, not perhaps always completely convincing, but worth experiencing regardless.
[Next : 14th April]
Ravel : Piano Concerto in G (Bertrand Chamayou, piano)
Beethoven : Symphony No. 4
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Josep Pons
Exposure to Alberto Ginastera's music, at least in this country, tends to be restricted to his two early ballet scores, Panambí, and, above all, Estancia. Yet he was a fairly prolific composer of varied genres, and deserves to be better known beyond the Americas. These Variaciones Concertantes were written in 1953, they belong to his middle period, what he called "Subjective Nationalism", where the influences of his native Argentina are not so much displayed openly as mined for inspiration, and redeveloped in a more personal style. The Variaciones Concertantes are a theme and eleven variations that showcase, movement by movement, various orchestral soloists or sections, in an engaging variety of styles. The theme is presented strikingly by cello and harp, then worked through in various moods and tempi, to show off the orchestra and its players. The SCO is particularly well suited to this kind of exercise, and the result was engaging, but particular mention goes to Simone van der Giessen in the "Dramatic variation with viola", for the medieval plangency she brought to her solo.
As if affected and influenced by the Ginastera, Pons brought a similar type of highlighting to the orchestral part of the Ravel concerto, so that we were constantly picking up individual instruments, or small sections, alongside the piano soloist, during the performance. It made for a bit of a bumpy ride, but the outer movements of the concerto are madcap, helter-skelter affairs anyway, so it wasn't entirely inappropriate. Bertrand Chamayou was over-pedalling a little in the first five minutes or so, but then adjusted to allow his limpid articulation of the rapid runs to come through clearly. Where he was a little more idiosyncratic than the norm was in the slow movement, which he played with a good deal of rubato, in a a piece which already has its rubato built-in. It was a curious effect; the left hand advanced almost falteringly, like a convalescent going for a first walk after long months of rehabilitation, while the right hand, the melody, led it gently forward, an interesting view, but not quite as poetic as one might like in this music.
Beethoven's 4th Symphony is frequently overshadowed by its towering neighbours, and at first sight seems a regression to the more Haydn-inspired style of the first two symphonies. However, that's a misconception. Beethoven was already at work on the 5th, when he put it aside to write the 4th on a commission, and the boundary-expanding techniques explored in the 3rd and 5th Symphonies can also be found here, notably in the slow, minor-key introduction, which seems like it needs a good deal of coaxing before it finally decides to explode into its true key, a sunny B-flat major. The second movement, with its ticking heart that gradually becomes a real, beating heart under the influence of the melody, gave the SCO winds in particular the opportunity to show off some really beautiful tone quality. The last two movements, taken at a cracking pace, were an exhilarating ride, a little rough around the edges on occasion, but nothing to cause any serious concern. This seems to be characteristic of Pons's concerts; sometimes a little unorthodox, not perhaps always completely convincing, but worth experiencing regardless.
[Next : 14th April]