RSNO, 01/06/2019

Sibelius : Suite from Belshazzar's Feast
Elgar : Cello Concerto (Truls Mørk, cello)
Walton : Belshazzar's Feast (Anthony Clark Evans, baritone)

RSNO Chorus
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård

Sibelius wrote a considerable amount of incidental music during his career, for plays which have largely, or even completely - even Maeterlinck's Pelléas et Mélisande - disappeared from the stage.  Hjalmar Procopé's Belshazzar's Feast belongs to that "orientalising" movement in the (western) arts that's so obvious in the early years of the last century, the kind of thing Diaghilev tapped into when he brought the Ballets Russes to Paris.  Sibelius's incidental music falls in line with the likes of Busoni's Turandot or Carl Nielsen's Aladdin, and in some respects it's as quaint as Mozart or Haydn going "alla turca" well over a century earlier, but it's also just as charming.  The orchestration is colourful and remarkably delicate, while the two nocturnal movements are hauntingly lovely, especially played as persuasively as they were tonight.

Truls Mørk last played with the RSNO (and Søndergård) almost exactly six years ago, a performance of the Dvorák Cello Concerto that still stands as a benchmark for me, so his was a welcome return to the platform tonight.  The sound is as beautiful as ever, rich and bronzed, yet never too thick, admirably clear at all times.  His Elgar - their Elgar, assuming the kind of partnership with the conductor that I believe exists between these two - was broad and expressive, but quite closely controlled, that famous surging rising scale in the first movement, that occurs twice, was taken at a decelerating pace.  I don't have a score, I don't know what Elgar actually marked here, but most of the performances I've heard tend to rush upwards, often at the expense of precision at the very top, which certainly undermines the effect at the last moment.  Mørk hit the top of the scale with clear accuracy, vibrant and yearning, but I would have liked maybe a shade more wildness in the reading, something a little less tidy.  On the whole, however, the sense of loss, of mourning for a disappearing world, was achingly present, and the end of the final movement, with its recall of earlier themes, was enthralling.

Walton's Belshazzar's Feast started out as a commission from the BBC, originating in 1929, when the composer was just 27, riding high on the successes of Façade and the Viola Concerto.  It had been intended for modest forces, but rapidly grew to the point that a radio broadcast premiere was no longer an option, and the project was rescued by Sir Thomas Beecham for performance in his Leeds music festival.  Apparently Beecham, though encouraging, was convinced the piece had no future, but he entrusted its premiere to the young Malcolm Sargent, whose flamboyant personality and choral expertise were perfectly in tune with Walton's exuberant score, and who delivered a resounding success of a performance.

Early Walton it may be, but the hallmarks are extremely clear; the strong rhythmic impulses, with a hint of Stravinsky, the melodic lines written with a pronounced appoggiatura, and at this point in time, the interest in jazz, are all very much in evidence.  The orchestral forces are fairly overwhelming, with two 7-piece brass bands in addition to the large orchestra, it certainly needs every one of the hundred-plus strong chorus to make itself heard, and even then, there are moments when they struggle.  The RSNO Chorus, bringing to a close its 175th season tonight, was in excellent form, but even so, there were moments when some of the longer sustained chords seemed to run out of steam a little, not consistently sustained.  On the other hand, there were also moments of great beauty, and of tremendous emotional impact.  The building distress of the first part of "In Babylon", culminating in a cry of sheer, tangible outrage at "Yea, drank from the sacred vessels" was magnificently rendered.

American baritone Anthony Clark Evans was the baritone soloist, warm-voiced and robust, a little detached, but in a way that implied honest objectivity, and not a lack of interest.  The declamation of the writing on the wall verges on the gothic quite enough in the orchestra, the soloist doesn't need to add to it.  As for Søndergård, he was relishing every moment, exhorting the orchestra to its fullest, bringing out the dance measures, pointing up the touches of jazz, which are quite startling in effect, keeping a close eye on the varying dynamics, and generally delivering a lively, sparkling performance, a fitting conclusion to the season.

[This marks the end of the 2018/19 season.  There should be the Toulouse Singing Competition finals in September, and there will probably be one or two concerts over the summer, so watch this space.  Otherwise, until next October....
ETA : Okay, some plans emerging, so the next date, so far, is 2nd July]

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