SCO, 03/12/2021

Adams : Shaker Loops

Mozart : Serenade No. 10 "Gran Partita" (extracts)

Bach : Brandenburg Concerto No. 5

Stephanie Gonley, violin

André Cebrián, flute

Maxim Emelyanychev, harpsichord/conductor

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Tonight was the orchestra very much exploring its 'chamber' aspect, three pieces, spanning three and a half centuries, all conceived for small and very specific formations, and a huge range of colour and dynamic.  John Adams's Shaker Loops was created in 1978 for string septet; he revised it in 1983 for string orchestra, and it's that version (which can nevertheless be played with single strings per part) that is now standard and that was heard tonight.  Six cellos sat in the middle, in a semi-circle, with the upper strings standing around them, and two double-basses at the rear, with the orchestra's exuberant young Principal Conductor, Maxim Emelyanychev front and centre, positively vibrating with the energy of this nervy, intense score.  In truth, Shaker Loops makes me anxious more than anything else, this is music for obsessive-compulsives if ever there was, and yet that anxiety is the mark of a good performance, because if I don't feel that, then I tend to get a little bored with it, particularly in the second movement.  I've heard the SCO play this piece before, but it wasn't a patch on tonight's performance, which never lost its focus, and consistently displayed a real finesse of timbre and texture, in a remarkable sonic experience.

The orchestra's current concerts are still 75 to 90 minutes' worth of music without interval.  In consequence, they could not perform the Gran Partita in its entirety, which, in retrospect, was something of a pity, because the four movements we heard were very enticing, with the winds of the SCO displaying their usual sterling qualities.  I did have a little bit of a beef with Robin Williams's oboe in the beautiful Adagio, because I didn't think he blended as smoothly with the others as I would have liked.  That very last note of the movement, in particular, really stuck out oddly.  The rest, however, was excellent, and he redeemed himself admirably in the fifth variation of the sixth movement.

Finally, the 5th Brandenburg Concerto as I don't think I've ever actually heard it before, in its original format for seven players - two violins, viola, cello, violone (which translates to double-bass), flute and harpsichord.  Even in this very light formation, the harpsichord, when playing with the complete ensemble, is very hard to hear which, considering how spectacularly brilliant this part is, seems unfortunate, and only went to reinforce my personal preference for the work with piano.  Brandenburg 5 is the grand-daddy of the virtuoso piano concertos of the Romantic Era, as attested by the substantial cadenza, not shared with the two other concertato players, and quite unique for the period.  Also, Emelyanychev set a bruising pace for the first movement, although it was, admittedly, exhilarating.  It also contrasted very nicely with the cool elegance of the slow movement, where the ripieno players are silent, leaving the field to the soloists, the SCO's leader, Stephanie Gonley, and newly appointed Principal Flute, André Cebrián, alongside Emelyanychev.  The final movement danced in with a hop and a skip, more evenly paced than the first, major and minor episodes contrasting nicely.

As an encore, Gonley, Cebrián and Emelyanychev played the first of Martinu's four Promenades for flute, violin and harpsichord from 1939, solidly planted in the neo-classical (or more accurately here, neo-Baroque) movement, playful and joyous, and a delightful conclusion.

Next : 4th December]