RSNO, 23/04/2022
Shostakovich (arr. Conlon) : Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk - Suite (extract)
Shostakovich : Piano Concerto No. 2 (Simon Trpčeski, piano)
Shostakovich : Symphony No. 5
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Andrey Boreyko
The Suite from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk was compiled from the opera's orchestral interludes in 1991 by conductor James Conlon, who should have been tonight's conductor, but had to withdraw. Andrey Boreyko is currently the Music (and Artistic) Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic, amongst other things, and I'll admit I'd never heard of him, or not that I recall. Clearly a lapse on my part, because based on tonight's showing, he's well worth hearing. The two excerpts chosen were the Passacaglia from Act 2, and "The Drunkard", from Act 3, the first sombre and driven, the second aggressively zany, Keystone Cops on acid, and certainly loud enough to blast away any cobwebs.
The 2nd Piano Concerto, the one written for his son Maxim's graduation, seemed positively demure after that, at least at first, but Simon Trpčeski really brought out the playful side to the outer movements, positively bouncing on his piano stool with enjoyment, beautifully crisp articulation in the runs. The second movement, in perfect contrast, was all gentle melancholy, calm and wistful, and delivered with a lovely singing tone. The orchestra too was clean and precise, with a finely varied dynamic range throughout, a real pleasure to hear.
Finally came Shostakovich's most popular symphony, the 5th, his life-buoy after the disastrous trashing of Lady Macbeth by the Party in 1936, that put not only Shostakovich's career, but his life, at risk. The 5th was written with a keen eye to satisfying the powers-that-be that Shostakovich could be a suitably productive and positive contributor to the Soviet cultural agenda. The trick was managing to do so successfully, and yet writing something that the public perceived not as a Party flag-waving piece of propaganda, but a lament for the brutalities of Stalin's regime.
The dynamic subtleties Boreyko was able to draw from the orchestra truly came into their own here, giving light and shade to every page of the score. The strange, ghostly conclusion to the first movement was an extraordinary contrast after the harshly angular opening theme, and the contrasts between the stomping, rustic dance of the Scherzo and its more lyrical Trio were vividly drawn. In the slow movement, the highlight was perhaps the exquisite flute duo with harp accompaniment, a glimpse of a distant paradise, maybe, which the final, serene cadence hinted was not so very distant. After that, the screaming triumph of the finale seemed distinctly and deliberately artificial, exhilarating, yet shrill enough to be almost painful. Shostakovich is always operating on multiple levels, and Boreyko and the orchestra made that very clear at all times tonight, in performances that well deserved the title of a "Shostakovich Spectacular".
[Next : 24th April]