United Kingdom Fauré, Lindberg, Stravinsky, Shostakovich: Pekka Kuusisto (violinist) Scottish Chamber Orchestra / Maxim Emelyanychev(conductor), City Halls, 23.2.2024. (GT)
Fauré – Suite: Pelléas et Mélisande, Op.80
Lindberg – Violin Concerto No.1
Stravinsky – Concerto in E-flat major, K060 ‘Dumbarton Oaks’
Shostakovich (arr. Barshai) – Chamber Symphony, Op.110a
Ever since Maxim Emelyanychev arrived in Scotland, the concert programmes have become increasingly interesting – sometimes seven or eight works performed on an evening of eclectic pieces from different eras in music. Here we were limited to four compositions from diverse musical styles. To open the concert with Gabriel Fauré’s colourful romantic piece and close it with one of Shostakovich’s most tragic works was as much a challenge for the audiences as it was for the musicians. In this concert, the Russian conductor placed his double bass players in front of him above the woodwind section with the violins facing each other, and at the rear, the timpani were almost hidden from view.
The sound picture was adapted to allow something darker aurally as we heard the opening Prelude of the Fauré suite begin with gentle phrasing from the violins almost murmuring in their intonation. As the rest of the orchestra joined in, there came a measured, yet loud increase in volume before switching to a charming idea on the woodwind, heralding a mysterious call from the horn of Chris Gough echoed by the cellos in a charming elegiac passage. In the second movement, Fileuse, a playful idea from Robin Williams’s oboe and the flute of André Cebrián portrayed Mélisande at the spinning wheel, and in the ‘Sicilienne’, the harp of Eleanor Hudson and Cebrián’s flute evinced an appealing rhapsody in a delightful evocation of the lovers’ meeting at the fountain which was mixed with joy and melancholy. In the finale La mort de Melisande, a lament for the heroine, Emelyanychev brought the piece to a sad, tragic close.
A different sound picture opened in Magnus Lindberg’s First Violin Concerto as Pekka Kuusisto expressed a high penetrating tone which rose and fell before he was joined by the violins in an enthralling sequence of ethereal playing – almost otherworldly – and in the second movement, the aural canvas was enhanced by the woodwind invoking a strange cosmic stillness. The soloist developed on his opening theme and repeatedly plucked on his strings – creating a magical mood as the brass introduced an almost Richard Straussian brightness as if heralding something momentous. Following a startling climax, Kuusisto fashioned a mesmerising cadenza that was interjected by the double bass of Nikita Naumov. This sequence led to an eloquent spine-tingling passage by Kuusisto in the third movement – leading to a fresh yet unearthly theme on the violins, when the violin was joined by the double basses and woodwind building to a culmination; yet rather than closing in glory, the concerto climaxed on a wonderfully conciliatory note.
The opening Tempo giusto of Stravinsky’s pre-war ‘Dumbarton Oaks’ introduced us to neo-classicism with the strings announcing a bright, cheery sequence, followed by the Allegretto, adorned by a beautiful passage of glorious virtuosity from the clarinet of Maximiliano Martin, the bassoon of Cerys Ambrose-Evans and colourful flute solos by Cebrián. The final movement, Con moto, brought this piece to the celebratory finale after a determined build-up.
Shostakovich’s Eighth Quartet is by far the most popular of the cycle for its deeply tragic memories of the horrors of war, specifically the destruction of Dresden by the RAF in 1945. One would hope that other string quartets such as the Seventh, or Tenth were heard more often. Rudolf Barshai also wrote versions of other Shostakovich chamber pieces. Contrary to the programme notes, the Eighth Quartet was composed in the Saxon resort of Görlitz after he had seen the bombed ruins of Dresden, the former Saxon capital.
The depth of tragedy heard from the cellos in the opening Largo emphasised the gravity of the tragedy – enhanced by intense drama – and a Jewish theme emerged vividly while the fiery Allegretto third movement represented even more horrifyingly the violence of war. The repeated citation of the DSCH motto was eloquently shared by the string groups and distinctly in the two closing Largo movements, with an especially expressive portrayal of the droning of bombers in the fourth movement. There was the suggestion of hope in the citation of a yearning and enlightening theme from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk in the cellos. Under the guidance of the Russian-born conductor, each orchestral group demonstrated world-class playing by evincing all the depth and forceful intensity of Shostakovich’s masterpiece.
My only issue is that I have always found that the string quartet brings out the intensity and emotional content more succinctly than this 1967 version for string orchestra. On the eve of the second anniversary of the war in the Ukraine – and now with another conflict in the Middle East – this was a poignant reminder of how fragile is our world.
Gregor Tassie