RSNO, 19/02/2022

Carlijn Metselaar : Into The Living Mountain

Stravinsky : Violin Concerto (Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin)

Rachmaninoff : Symphony No. 2

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Thomas Søndergård

Carlijn Metselaar is a young Dutch composer, apparently based in Edinburgh, but undertaking a PhD in Composition at Cardiff University.  She was the RSNO's Composer's Hub Winner for 2019/20, and Into The Living Mountain, receiving its world premiere(s) this week (3 of them, on successive nights, of which this was the last), was the fruit of that collaboration.  It's inspired by Nan Shepherd's short memoir of hill-walking in the Cairngorms, "The Living Mountain", but, Metselaar writes, her piece is not intended to be a pictorial description of the land, but "a reaction to these wild places, with their wide views and interesting gnarly details."  The gnarly details came across well enough - there were a lot of interesting textures in the orchestral sound, particularly from passages of strings underpinned by tuned percussion, but the rest sort of passed me by.  At any rate, by the end of the concert, that is about all I recall of the piece.

I do think it is difficult to put a new piece up against a relatively modern masterpiece.  It's fine playing something brand new, and then doing Mozart, or Beethoven, or something solidly 19th Century, the contrast is so great that in many respects the new piece is more easily heard on its own merits.  But follow up a new piece with something from, if not the Father, then certainly the Godfather of modern music, and the competition tends to be a bit too fierce.  Stravinsky's violin concerto is rapidly approaching its centenary, but it has lost nothing of its ability to startle and stimulate, especially not in the hands of a vibrant interpreter of the likes of Patricia Kopatchinskaja.  Joyfully colourful in a dress of orange and cream with turquoise accents, of South-American inspiration, she danced her way - sometimes literally - through the piece, quieting only long enough to give the Aria II its due.  Her violin sound was lean and eager, with a barely contained wildness, and a remarkably rich lower register, noticeable from the outset. 

 As I've mentioned before, I find the Rachmaninoff symphonies a little self-indulgent.  Despite some unquestionably gorgeous writing, the second in particular is long, at around an hour, and most of the time, I'm aware of every minute passing.  It's why I've always said that the Symphonic Dances are his finest purely orchestral work, they offer everything any of the symphonies do, without a redundant bar in them.  It takes an exceptional performance of the 2nd to overcome its longueurs; I think the only time I've been completely convinced was when Osmo Vänskä was at the head of the BBCSSO.  

This is the third time I've heard it with the RSNO.  Each performance had its own strengths and weaknesses, and each offered the same luscious string sound, which is pretty much indispensable when it comes to Rachmaninoff and which, clearly, this orchestra has down to a fine art by now. For me, the Rachmaninoff symphonies work best when presented as a force of nature, ultimately uncontrollable, something you just have to ride out and enjoy, and in that context, the best movement tonight was the Scherzo, taken at a vigorous gallop.  That said, the slow movement was worth it for the clarinet solo of Timothy Orpen, beautifully poetic, but while the last movement was suitably exhilarating, it didn't quite have that electrifying quality that lifts you out of your seat.  A good performance, with a lovely orchestral sound, but still not quite making the case for the symphony.

[Next : 22nd February]