BBCSSO, 13/01/2022
Bartók : Divertimento for string orchestra
Erika Fox : David spielt vor Saul (Julian Jacobson) - World premiere
Nielsen : Symphony No. 3 "Sinfonia expansive"
Elizabeth Watts, soprano
Benjamin Appl, baritone
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Geoffrey Paterson
In yet another late substitution, conductor Geoffrey Paterson stood in for the BBCSSO's current principal conductor Thomas Dausgaard for this opening concert of the spring season. Dausgaard's defection was a particularly unexpected one, and a sore blow for the orchestra, because in addition to featuring a world premiere performance of an orchestra commission, this concert marks the start of the major feature of this half-season, a complete cycle of Carl Nielsen's symphonies. However, the high quality of the playing tonight stands as a tribute to the degree of preparation of the orchestra, and to Paterson's ability to connect with the players, particularly at short notice, because I do not think we lost much, if anything at all, in the exchange.
The strings only of the orchestra featured in the opening number, Bartók's Divertimento, from 1939, originally commissioned by Paul Sacher for his Basel orchestra. The stylistic variants were well explored, motoric patterns reminiscent of the Brandenburg Concertos in the outer movements, impressions of folk dances, and then the still, eerie core of the piece, more Bartók 'night-music', steeped in mystery, and throughout, the rich, nourished timbre of the strings bringing their particular colour to the whole.
Erika Fox was born in Austria in 1936, but being of Jewish origin, her parents fled the country in the face of the Anschluss, and she was brought up and educated in England. She studied composition at the Royal College of Music in London, with, amongst others, Harrison Birtwistle. Quite a prominent figure in the late 60s and 70s, her music slipped into the background, until interest began to be revived in the last decade. David plays for Saul is a piano concerto in two movements, a new commission for the New Year. I have to say that about the only aspect of it that, at the moment, really sticks in my memory, is the opening, a crashing sequence of cluster chords from the pianist - including the whole forearm-on-the-keys thing - which elicited a disgruntled whisper from behind me of "I could play that!" The piano writing after that was rather more delicate, but overall, this is not the kind of contemporary music that really catches me. I would certainly have to listen again, and off-hand, I'm not especially tempted to do so. It happened, I think it was well played (though it's hard to judge), but it did not make much of an impression on me.
As mentioned, the big draw of the spring season is all six of Nielsen's symphonies. I think it's been twenty years since they've been done by this orchestra, and although the 4th gets airings from time to time, the others are much less frequently heard. Yet after Sibelius, Nielsen is the greatest of the Northern symphonists, beyond question, his voice, astringent and lyrical, quite unique, his palette speaking of sea and stone, his colours cool and clear and suffused with radiance.
The 3rd symphony (1911) starts with a call to attention of a repeated, hammered note, before swinging into a rollicking, rustic waltz of huge energy, wonderfully delivered by Paterson and the orchestra. The pastoral second movement features a pair of songbirds - luxury casting here, with Elizabeth Watts and Benjamin Appl warbling blissfully to either side of the orchestra. The scherzo is animated and vigorous, with a hint of folk-music that links it to the Bartók Divertimento. The last movement starts with a big, noble tune, almost Elgarian, but gets playful in the middle, flirting with a fugue, and passing through an aviary, before coming to a bright, joyful conclusion. The whole thing was beautifully delivered, bold, open and uplifting, and a very promising beginning to a set of concerts to which I'm very much looking forward.
[Next : 20th January]