United Kingdom Various: Philippe Quint (violin), Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Christian Reif (conductor). Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 14.10.2022. (BBS)
Julia Perry – A Short Piece for Orchestra
Korngold – Violin Concerto
Dvořák – Symphony No.7
Having loved the New World Symphony, not too long ago performed by the Filharmonie Brno, it was attention-grabbing and instructive to listen to Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony just a few days later, performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Conducted by Christian Reif, a younger German maestro, who from 2016-2019 was resident conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, this was one other blended programme of well-known and unknown music. In the primary half we heard A Short Piece for Orchestra by the American composer, Julia Perry (1924-1979), after which Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto, with Philippe Quint as soloist.
There was a good if not monumental viewers for this programme of lesser-known music, amusingly launched by Peter Dykes, one of many RSNO’s glorious oboists, and led tonight by Emily Davis. Reif, who strode on to the stage like a colossus, proceeded to dominate the efficiency with a flamboyant and theatrical model. Mixing German precision with American showbiz pizzazz, Reif demonstrated why he’s in such demand all through the world. Interestingly, I word that he studied on the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Dennis Russell Davies, who so impressively carried out the Filharmonie Brno within the Usher Hall.
The opening work, A Short Piece for Orchestra, dated from 1952. Combating racial discrimination and sexism, Perry was one of many first African-American musicians to make a mark on musical historical past. After research at Princeton and the Julliard, she acquired a scholarship to work in Italy with the composer Luigi Dallapiccola, and this glorious piece was written round this time. A tightly conceived work, packing so much into seven minutes of music, it was given an exciting efficiency by the RSNO, and was an entertaining opener to the live performance. Contrasting loud and delicate sections, it explored the complete vary of the orchestra, and made us wish to hear extra of this uncared for composer’s work. Ill well being dogged her life, as she suffered a collection of strokes and died on the age of solely 53, however she possessed nice expertise, and I’m certain that extra concert events will function her compositions.
Another composer who has been unjustly uncared for, primarily as a result of he grew to become a famous composer of movie scores and suffered being patronised by his friends, was Erich Korngold (1897-1957). His lush romanticism was out of style in mid-twentieth century classical music, reasonably like Richard Strauss, however he was truly a tremendously proficient composer, recognised early by Mahler and Richard Strauss as a prodigy. His opera Die Tote Stadt (1920) had been a lot admired, and when Max Reinhardt requested him to come back to Hollywood to make a movie rating out of Mendelssohn’s incidental music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in 1935, his success was enormous. Reinhardt had been one of many founders of the Salzburg Festival and was a well-known director of performs and operas. (One of my signature roles throughout my profession was La Roche in Strauss’s 1942 Capriccio, a task based mostly famously on Reinhardt, a theatre director with an infinite ego however even higher charisma, and this historic character has at all times me.) Like Strauss, Korngold had no time for the avant-garde composers of his day, with their atonal serialism, and his collaboration with Reinhardt on Dream resulted in an exquisite movie, starring James Cagney as Bottom, and a juvenile Mickey Rooney as Puck. It is nicely value looking for the movie out.
After WWII, the defeat of Adolf Hitler and his Nazis, and the success of many different movies, Korngold wrote his Violin Concerto, and what a chunk it turned out to be! Premiered in St Louis with the nice Jascha Heifetz as soloist, devoted to Mahler’s widow Alma, and written in D Major, the important thing of most of the most well-known violin concertos, this piece was an prompt success.
This efficiency by the American violinist, Philippe Quint, taking part in a 1708 Stradivarius violin, was an impressive triumph. This vastly expressive musician was merely sensational, taking part in with verve and keenness, totally in a position to deal with the wildly virtuosic components within the rating, but in addition cajoling superb tone from his excellent instrument. I by no means stop to be amazed on the sound this actually fairly small instrument could make in knowledgeable arms, dominating an enormous live performance corridor with ease. The solo half emphasises the highest register of the violin, and Quint performed with a sweetness tempered with metal which took the breath away. This was taking part in of true world class, and his rapport with Reif was additionally crystal clear, the 2 performers exchanging glances and smiles all through the work. The RSNO was in high type and shaped the right accompaniment to the soloist. Korngold’s addition of vibraphone, xylophone, harp and celeste to the usual orchestra added fantastic magical sounds to the ensemble, and the concerto’s end was greeted by enormous cheers and bravos. Quint handled us to an encore of Charlie Chaplin’s Smile, drawing consideration to his research of the actor/composer, which has resulted in a multimedia tribute and an album, Chaplin’s Smile.
I spoke to Philippe Quint after his efficiency, which marked his debut in Scotland, and he was at pains to inform me how a lot he beloved taking part in within the Usher Hall, describing it as the most effective acoustics on the planet. I hope that he’ll come again and play within the corridor once more quickly, as this was merely marvellous violin taking part in.
As if this was not sufficient, after the interval we had been handled to a different spectacular efficiency, this time of Antonín Dvořák’s magnificent Seventh Symphony. It was the Royal Philharmonic Society who commissioned Dvořák to put in writing his Seventh Symphony, which was premiered in April 1885. In the identical 12 months the world heard, for the primary time, Brahms’s Fourth Symphony and Bruckner’s Seventh. It’s a staggering thought.
Dvořák’s Seventh is an incredible work, maybe his least Czech-related symphony, but nonetheless imbued together with his emotions of despair on the destiny of his homeland, of a rustic subsumed inside a a lot bigger entity, the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Without making odious comparisons, there is a component of the identical craving in those that advocate, let’s consider, a extra strongly differentiated function for Scotland throughout the United Kingdom, for instance.
The Seventh Symphony is a darker work than most of the composer’s different works, reflecting, in addition to his emotions for his homeland, his sorrow on the lack of his mom, and earlier his eldest daughter. Beginning with rumbling murmurs deep throughout the orchestra, the primary motion covers a wealth of emotion till the tip, when it subsides again into nothingness. The gradual motion is basically an oasis of calm, launched by a stunning clarinet solo, superbly performed by Timothy Orpen, however the passionate temper returns within the Scherzo with its reminiscences of Bohemia within the melodies. The finale once more takes us by means of battle and doubt to sunnier uplands, and the triumphant ending is exhilarating within the excessive.
All this was splendidly conveyed by means of the orchestra to the viewers by the pressing promptings of Christian Reif, who carried out with bravura and sensitivity, and coaxed fantastic sounds out of all sections. He generously singled out all of the woodwind and brass soloists on the finish, in addition to Paul Philbert on timpani, who single-handedly shaped the percussion part of the orchestra.
This was one other triumphant live performance by the RSNO, who deserve nice credit score for courageous and attention-grabbing programming, and in addition unbelievable taking part in.
Brian Bannatyne-Scott
First revealed in its unique model on Edinburgh Music Review.