United Kingdom LSO’s Half Six Fix – Weill, Beethoven: Eric Lu (piano), London Symphony Orchestra / Marin Alsop (conductor). Barbican Hall, London, 8.2.2023. (CC)
Weill – Symphonic Nocturne from ‘Lady in the Dark’ (1940/41, live performance suite, arr. Robert Russell Bennett, 1949)
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58
Both Beethoven and Weill had issues with (totally different) tyrants, as Marin Alsop identified as a part of her partaking introductions to those two works. The Half Six Fix, truncated, live shows are proving extremely in style, with their nearer contact between conductor and viewers and their shorter time frames. This one was all however sold-out from what I might see.
Alsop has recorded the Weill Symphonic Nocturne in a tremendous efficiency for Naxos (with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and paired with the 2 symphonies). The London Symphony Orchestra’s efficiency was extra disciplined than the Bournemouth recording, and the Barbican orchestra’s brilliant sound suited Weill’s music to a tee.
There are six actions, the primary of which, ‘My Ship’, is predicated on a tune that Julie Andrews claimed was her favorite of all time. The tune is certainly an earworm, and the music as slinky as will be. There is a second that the music threatens to show right into a Rachmaninov symphony; Weill turns away from such temptation by way of a snippet of trumpet tune adopted by a vitally rhythmic passage. Rather a lot occurs in a brief area of time; the lighter ‘Girl of the Moment’ follows within the first dream sequence (Weill’s model of George Gershwin’s An American in Paris sprung to thoughts). There actually was the sensation that the LSO was having fun with itself massively, significantly the percussion on this second motion. Surely the Boléro, ‘This is New’ is half-bolero, half Holst ‘Mars’ from The Planets till the suavest of tunes, which might solely be by Weill, arrives. There is a contact of Stravinsky, maybe, for the Allegro alla marcia – actually, there may be greater than a touch of the circus right here. There is a variety of enjoyable available on this piece in its misdirections: there’s a second on this music that sounds for all of the world as if it is going to launch into ‘A Spoonful of Sugar’ from The Sound of Music. ‘Dance of the Tumblers,’ with its gritty low strings, so effectively delivered right here, was fantastically balanced by Alsop and stuffed with power. Finally, ‘The Saga of Jenny’ with its sensible brass solos, rounded off a complete lot of leisure. Weill actually is a wonderful composer, as his symphonies attest.
Eric Lu is a tremendous pianist. His debut album on Warner Classics of Chopin and Schumann was warmly obtained and each time I’ve heard Lu beforehand, he has impressed, as he did right here (apart from the encore). His Beethoven is finely honed, with an emphasis on readability. His efficiency of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto from the Leeds Competition can be obtainable on Warner Classics (Hallé / Edward Gardner). It is a piece for which Lu clearly has nice affinity, and the element he presents is astonishing – great left-hand accent, crystal clear articulation, and rapt focus all through. Alsop was with him like a shadow, encouraging the LSO woodwind to myriad moments of magic. Poetry and energy went hand-in-hand, one thing we heard in microcosm within the first motion cadenza (the primary of the 2 obtainable by the composer). Despite one barely early violin entry within the sluggish motion, the piano’s taming of the orchestral beast was effectively achieved, and the shut was hushed and serene. The starting of the Rondo (Vivace) finale was exceptional, although. One will get so used to listening to the strings ever so barely sluggish on the very opening. Not right here: fully on the ball, as was Lu – and there was glorious solo cello enjoying by Principal David Cohen, too. A cheeky left-hand glissando appeared half and parcel of Lu’s sense of attaining full congruence with this music.
A wonderful live performance. One encore: Chopin Waltz in C sharp minor, Op.64/2, only a contact soporific. But the Beethoven was extremely memorable.
Colin Clarke