Chorégies d'Orange, 10/07/2015

Berlioz : Carnaval romain
Poulenc : Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Saint-Saëns : Symphony No. 3 "Organ"

Martha Argerich, piano
Nicholas Angelich, piano
Christophe Henry, organ
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France
Myung-Whun Chung

Myung-Whun Chung has been music director of the French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra since 2000, but tonight was his last official concert as such, before handing over the reins to Mikko Frank, and quite a party it was!  There's no denying that this orchestra is of a quite different order of quality than the Lyon orchestra heard three nights ago; their sound is bolder and tighter, the precision is greater, and all round the standard is higher, and this all-French programme was designed, in the main, to show them off at their best.

The Berlioz got things off to a flying start, a crisp, yet affectionate reading, lively and colourful.  Then came the Poulenc Double Piano Concerto, and with no disrespect meant to the orchestra, they rather took a back seat to the soloists.  I was seated very far forward, and perhaps the balance favoured the pianists too much, but apart from short passages in which the orchestra takes over (and in which they sounded fine) my attention was wholly captivated by the playing of Martha Argerich and Nicholas Angelich.  First of all was an extraordinary degree of precision, to the point that they sounded like one instrument much of the time, and not two, and a virtuosity so completely integrated as to appear effortless.  Then there was the complete acceptance of all Poulenc's multi-faceted styles, something that gives many pianists trouble, as they tend to be more comfortable with one aspect over another.  Not so here - from the opening, gamelan-inspired chimes, through the Mozartian second movement, and bounding into the finale until the chimes return at the end, it all flowed effortlessly.  Just when you think Poulenc is going to bounce merrily along to a chirpy conclusion, he will suddenly drift off into a gently melancholic reverie, beautifully captured particularly by Argerich.  Unity is the important thing between the soloists, on the whole, but there are times when their differences are allowed to come into play, and tonight's pianists made the most of them, Angelich with a bigger, more overtly romantic tone, while Argerich seemed more tender and introspective, yet just as assertive as her partner.  At some point over the next month, I will probably try to listen to a replay, since the concert was broadcast live, to get a better idea of the orchestra's actual contribution, but even so, this was an inspired performance.

Martha Argerich and Nicholas Angelich
Théâtre Antique d'Orange, 10/07/2015
(© the author, 2015)

The final work was Saint-Saëns's popular and imposing Organ Symphony.  The intriguing point, before the concert, was how they were going to introduce the organ - it's hardly a standard feature of a Roman theatre, after all.  Their solution was a portable instrument, and a battery of loudspeakers set up on the stage area, above the orchestra.  It was, regrettably, not entirely satisfactory.  Saint-Saëns was an exceptional organist himself, and used to the great Cavaillé-Coll instruments with which Paris, in particular, is richly endowed, and although apparently the instrument in St. James's Hall, London, where the piece was premiered, was not all that imposing, it seems clear from the nature of the music, that it's the rich Cavaillé-Coll sound Saint-Saëns was imagining when he composed his symphony, and which we did not really get tonight.  However, that was the only weakness in a performance that fairly crackled with nervous energy in the outer movements, only to take a deep, relaxing breath for the contemplative and eloquent poco adagio.  Vibrant, nervy string playing throughout, a bright, bracing brass sound, and if the organ sound had been a bit more sonorous, it would have been absolutely perfect.  As it was, it was still very satisfying, rightfully garnering enthusiastic applause at the conclusion.

[Next : 11th July]