SCO, 16/01/2015

Stravinsky : Concerto in D
Mozart : Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364 (Alexander Janiczek, violin; Jane Atkins, viola)
Beethoven : Piano Concerto No. 2 (Llyr Williams, piano)
Mozart : Symphony No. 31 "Paris"

Scottish Chamber Orchestra

This was another Janiczek/Williams double-act, which meant that most of the evening, Alexander Janiczek conducted from the leader's position, but during the piano concerto, Llyr Williams took over, with a little discreet assistance from Janiczek when the pianist's hands were otherwise occupied.  It was also vintage SCO programming - Mozart and Beethoven, with a little caustic leavening of Stravinsky.

The Concerto in D is one of the glories of Stravinsky's neo-classical output, concise and delicate, ephemeral but with a sting at both ends, sweetened by the slyly honeyed Arioso at its heart, all of which the strings of the SCO delivered admirably as a curtain-raiser.  It was followed by the Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola, K. 364.  Everything I said about K. 364 back in November (here) was just as valid tonight, except here we kind of had a "neither fish nor fowl" situation.  Jane Atkins is the SCO's principal viola, therefore an orchestral soloist.  Janiczek, on the other hand, has bridged the gap between orchestral soloist to concert soloist and recitalist.  The result was, I felt, not completely felicitous tonight, because while there was no fault with Ms. Atkins's playing, neither her timbre nor her style meshed particularly well with Janiczek's, and the lovely, intertwined melodies of the Sinfonia Concertante failed to come alive.  This was particularly the case in the second movement, where Janiczek displayed the sweet tone and singing phrases required, but was not being met by an answering quality from the viola.  It wasn't a bad performance by any means, but it lacked a certain quality of excellence that I had hoped to find.

I did find it in the Beethoven Concerto, as anticipated.  This was archetypal Williams, all elegance and precision, and that remarkably beautiful tone he always evokes from the piano.  The orchestra responded vividly, even though this is early Beethoven and his orchestral palette is still a work-in-progress, but the focus was rightly on the piano.  It's a relatively showy piece - Beethoven had just moved to Vienna, and the concerto was to be something of a calling card, introducing himself both as composer and virtuoso pianist to his new home - but Williams never sacrifices form for fireworks, and the pacing and phrasing were all meticulously planned out without any loss of spontaneity.  The astonishingly discreet end of the second movement, when the piano part pares right down to a handful of infinitely poetic, single-line phrases, was that moment of pure suspension of time one always wants to find in Beethoven, while the final rondo refrained from rushing off in a mad skelter to dance crisply by with an impish smile.

It's no fault of the orchestra (or Janiczek) that the "Paris" Symphony concluded the evening almost as an anticlimax.  It has to be said that it had been snowing in Glasgow intermittently ever since twilight, and it was quite obvious that many in the audience were concerned about being able to return home safely.  We lost a few already at the interval, and while Williams had worked his magic during the Beethoven, after that, there was a faint sense that many wanted to be moving.  It was rather a pity, because the "Paris" was well played, its grand opening resounding brightly, a poised central Andante, and the final Allegro's striking, hushed opening, excellently rendered.  Unfortunately, it wasn't quite enough to hold the attention of a somewhat distracted hall, and the execution somewhat undeservedly seemed to slip by into a sort of vague limbo.  I feel like apologising on behalf of my fellow audience members who were no longer giving due consideration to the performance.  However, whatever anyone's concerns might have been, the evening was worth it for the sublime Beethoven.

[Next : 22 January]