Dvorák : Cello Concerto (Steven Isserlis, cello)
Elgar : Symphony No. 1
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Dausgaard
Steven Isserlis plays with a rare degree of absorption in the music; there were moments when, not actually playing himself, he seemed to want to be conducting, responding vividly, physically to the music swirling around him, smiling suddenly at a phrase here or there, before plunging back into the soloist's role. His sound is warm and mellow, and the upper notes lack a little edge that would help them carry over the orchestra better - there were several places where it was my memory supplying the sound, rather than his playing - but the beauty of tone, and the tenderness and lyricism of his phrasing were profoundly rewarding throughout. Dausgaard and the orchestra supported with an equally lyrical sweep, with particular mention for the velvet-smooth timbre and gentle melancholy of Yann Ghiro's clarinet, frequently solicited by Dvorák in this concerto.
The same expansive quality was brought to the Elgar, along with a particular attention to orchestral colouring. Dausgaard deployed the strings of the orchestra tonight in a slightly unusual formation; the semicircle, from left to right, went 1st violins, cellos and double-basses, violas, and 2nd violins, which, in both works, occasionally produced some rather striking stereophonic effects. The harp, too, was placed over to the right, rather than the more usual left, and Elgar certainly keeps the harpist busy in this symphony. The music is certainly heavily scored, and can sound impenetrable if not handled with care, but the BBCSSO was doing its level best to keep as much transparency as possible, and avoid the piece becoming turgid, generally very successfully. I still find it has its longueurs, but this was a more persuasive reading than most.
[Next : 27th January]
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