United Kingdom Clyne, Shostakovich: Jess Gillam (saxophone), Royal Scottish National Orchestra / Jonathon Heyward (conductor), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 5.4.2025. (GT)
Anna Clyne – Glasslands (Scottish premiere)
Shostakovich – Symphony No.8 in C minor, Op.60
The programme was a welcome one, uniting two composers of modernist music; one had a fascinatingly developing international career, and the other was among the great symphonists of the twentieth century. Anna Clyne is a composer who has developed a fine career both in Scotland and in the US, and it was in Detroit in 2022 that her orchestral concerto for saxophone and orchestra had its world premiere. The piece was composed for the effervescent Jess Gillam, who performed it together with Jonathon Heyward, now the Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Anna Clyne’s Glasslands is inspired by Irish folklore and the fantasy world of three lands occupied by the Banshee spirit. The Banshee cries terrible shrieks at night after someone has died – amongst other shocking sounds and noises. This is the second piece written for Jess Gillam ‘Snake and Ladder’ is for saxophone and orchestra. This new piece is constructed in three movements and lasts just under half an hour.
A common factor in all of Clyne’s earlier compositions has been superb orchestration, and on this evening, I was very impressed by her exciting and brilliantly inventive Glasslands. It opened spectacularly with a blast from Gillam’s soprano saxophone and joined by the orchestra with a vividly colourful display of virtuosic wind and string playing. The adventurous writing depicted a whirlwind of brilliant saxophone playing from Gillam evincing the magnificent potential of her instrument. The effervescent musician explores every nuance of her instrument – which has a surprisingly wide range, and her interaction with the woodwind group was often spectacular in the frequent cantabile passages of great beauty. The effect was loud and brilliant – I cannot remember a more dynamically commanding piece by a recent modern composer. If I was critical previously of what I thought was a lack of invention, Clyne makes up for it with this astonishing piece and in the playing of Jess Gillam, she has a great ambassador for the saxophone concerto.
The Shostakovich Eighth Symphony was once called the ‘Stalingrad Symphony’ in the US after its predecessor, the ‘Leningrad Symphony’. In the UK, the Eighth Symphony was first heard in full at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1960 when Mravinsky conducted his Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, after which they performed it in London before touring Europe. The symphony has become regarded as one of his finest works, yet it is rarely performed simply because of its huge, almost Mahlerian qualities and length.
I was not aware of the US conductor Jonathon Heyward; however, he revealed this evening that he has a fine technique allied with a grasp of the scale of this symphony and the difficult transitions between themes and, most of all, the dynamics of the orchestral structure. It was most evident in the huge, opening movement (Adagio – Allegro non troppo), with the opening fortissimo motif. The secondary theme was intensely tragic – as if all human suffering were uncovered – followed by impressively attractive playing from the strings – as if offering hope out of the maelstrom of tragedy. The conductor’s handling of this gigantic movement was outstanding, and his control of the ensuing tramping march invoked great horror with stunning playing from the timpani and brass group. The passage was brought quietly to a close by a beautiful solo passage by the cor anglais of Rosie Stanforth.
The Allegretto followed in an intensely dramatic passage evidenced by outstanding playing by the entire orchestra in a strident march. The height of the orchestral performance was in the toccata of the Allegro non troppo, with the motoric rhythms leading to a massively powerful climax. This was like a battlefield scene; it was spectacularly demonstrated, with all the swiftly moving swoops on the strings and bursting cries from the woodwind and the brass.
It was quite extraordinary to see and hear the outstanding orchestra under Heyward’s skilful direction, as the passacaglia of the Largo brought us to scenes where the lonely and terrible loss of the war are evident in the subdued orchestral passages. In the closing movement (Allegretto), the solo bassoon of David Hubbard – accompanied by pizzicato strings – brought us into a different world. It was enhanced by a lovely passage from the solo flute of Katherine Bryan leading into the moving final bars offering hope for a better, peaceful world free of war. This was a magnificent concert bringing together two works from different musical periods both exhibiting the tremendous musicianship of this orchestra.
Gregor Tassie