Mahler : Blumine
Mahler (arr. Britten) : Symphony No. 3 - 2nd Movement
Sibelius : Violin Concerto (Janine Jansen, violin)
Beethoven : Symphony No. 7
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård
The connection between three of tonight's works was folk-inspired dance, it's quite an obvious factor in all of them. As for Blumine, I suspect it was programmed to give the orchestra's new Principal Trumpet, Christopher Hart an opportunity to show off a little, and he made the most of it. Both the Mahler pieces were beautifully played, with a lovely bloom on the tone, and just the right degree of Viennese schwärmerei in the phrasing of Mahler's yearning melodies.
The Sibelius Violin Concerto is a spell-binding piece, from its hushed opening, with the solo violin's song spiralling down out of the ether, to the "polonaise for polar bears" of the last movement (to quote Tovey's delightful description). Jansen's reading is on the dark side, her tone often relatively sombre, her interpretation speaking more of loss than of hope, with even the last movement's jollity more defiant than smiling. The technique is solid; without ever playing safe, Jansen never gave cause for a moment's doubt in this notoriously demanding work, and she and Søndegård defended their vision of the concerto very ably indeed.
Søndergård's Beethoven was a much better experience this time around than the last time for me. Here was Beethoven with a pulse, expansive without dragging (particularly in the 2nd movement), becoming increasingly exuberant as the symphony progressed, yet taking the time to relish some of Beethoven's bolder harmonic progressions. Some excellent playing from the woodwinds, and a real sense of enthusiasm throughout the orchestra made for an invigorating and thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the concert.
[Next : 23rd October]
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