BBCSSO, 04/12/2014

Fauré : Pelléas et Mélisande - Suite, Op. 80
Saint-Saëns : Piano Concerto No. 5 "The Egyptian" (Javier Perianes, piano)
Berlioz : Symphonie fantastique

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Matthias Pinscher

Speaking as one who has known and adored Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande from an early age (very early - 6 or so), Fauré's take on Maeterlinck's play has never quite made the grade for me.  This performance wasn't going to change my mind about it either, though it was respectable enough, with nice shaping from the strings in particular.  How Fauré thought that self-important funeral march was apt for the last scene of the play, however, still escapes me completely!  Fortunately, this po-faced opener was no true indicator of what was in store for the rest of the evening.

Saint-Saëns's place in the pantheon is still under debate; while some works retain an unassailable popularity, that same popularity, combined with his prolific output, also contribute to a certain disdain of this notable polymath.  When you get to hear some of the lesser-known (but not necessarily lesser) pieces, however, his skill is manifest, in terms of craftsmanship, orchestration, and melodic inspiration.  He wrote five piano concertos, all for himself to play, and all of exceptional virtuosity -- he was not one of the greatest keyboard players of his time for nothing -- but it's the 2nd and 3rd that have remained the most popular.

The 5th, however, has a very special flavour to it, the central movement strongly influenced by his extensive travels to North Africa and Egypt, and the other thing that really stood out here is how impeccably balanced it is.  The piano is never, ever lost in the orchestra, there is an ebb and flow of colour and tone between them that was brought forward magnificently by the performers tonight.  When Saint-Saëns sends his soloist off in cascades of scales running up and down the keyboard, they are usually kept light, for speed and agility, but the orchestra drops back to a confidential murmur in support.  When the orchestra gains power, either the pianist adds weight with octaves and double octaves, or is playing in a high register more easily audible over the orchestral texture.

It takes a soloist for whom the pianism comes easily, so that his or her focus is on the interpretation, and not on the notes, and we had that tonight in a brilliant display from Spanish pianist Javier Perianes.  His playing looked and sounded effortless, his tone clear and singing, his phrasing and dynamics thoughtfully nuanced.  The rhapsodic second movement was particularly enticing, with its opening flourishes immediately evocative of Moorish Spain, before moving on to the melody that Saint-Saëns claimed was a Nubian love-song, and which was glowingly echoed by the mellifluous strings.  This was a sensational performance, both from Perianes and the orchestra, and Perianes was persuaded into an encore by the applause.  As if to convince us (not, I think, that we needed convincing) that he is not merely all about glittering virtuosity, he chose the fragile intimacy of Grieg's Nocturne, played with aching tenderness, but no undue sentimentality.

This was going to be a very hard act to follow, especially with something as familiar as Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique, but Pintscher and the orchestra pulled it off with brio.  The strings had already made their presence felt earlier; here, they really came into their own, with a lustrous gleam to their sound, and much finely crafted detail, from the first movement to the last.  Pintscher's tempi were perfectly chosen, on the brisk side, but well-paced both within each movement and in the relation of one movement to the next.  The daydreams of the first movement never flagged, nervy and lyrical by turns.  The swirling waltz of the second movement had a truly Viennese sweep to it, while remaining almost iridescently light.  The long, pastoral third movement was particularly Beethovenien in Pintscher's hands.  The March to the Scaffold was maybe played a little too straight -- this is the beginning of the nightmare, and for me there should be a mocking edge to it which wasn't there -- but Pintscher defended his position well enough, while the Witches' Sabbath was splendidly and blackly grotesque.  This was an intelligent, very well-conceived reading, and extremely well rendered by the orchestra, bringing an exceptional concert to a dazzling conclusion.

[Next : 12th December]