The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain found
themselves sitting on the Royal Albert Hall stage on what was one of
the hottest nights of recent summers, facing an opening work in Messiaen’s
early (1930) Les offrandes oubliées, that commences, somewhat
dauntingly in the circumstances, with subdued mysticism. A series of
hushed, slow moving chord progressions, marked Très lent,
reveal their early chronology by the unmistakeable presence of Debussy,
yet simultaneously succeed in pointing forward to the mature Messiaen
that was soon to manifest itself. Judging by the care taken in tuning
up, the orchestra were clearly very much aware of the havoc such tropical
temperatures can wreak with intonation, yet the immediate atmosphere
of the opening bars revealed that any such early concerns would soon
be forgotten. If Messiaen’s central depiction of the sins of humanity
lacked a little punch early on Tortelier soon wound the tension up before
a sublime final movement, "Extrêmement lent",
the seamless transition of woodwind to strings, a short way in, handled
with magical sensitivity.
It was fitting that Berlioz’s
Harold in Italy should feature one of the rising stars of the
viola, Radio Three New Generation Artist, Lawrence Power, already a
musician with an international reputation and an established performer
with the Nash Ensemble. The beauty of his tone was evident from the
opening entry, as was a seemingly conscious sense of restraint that
whilst often admirable just occasionally seemed to withdraw a little
too far. Tortelier’s command over the orchestra on the other hand was
reciprocated with an evident sense of respect from the players, controlled
yet with the joie de vivre and freshness that we come to expect from
a youth orchestra that achieves a degree of consistency from year to
year that can defy belief. The second movement March of the Pilgrims
was pulled off with telling delicacy whilst in complete contrast Tortelier’s
masterful pacing of the final movement gave the final paragraphs tremendous
potency.
A similar sense of pacing and
architectural control were in evidence in Prokofiev’s rigorously structured
Fifth Symphony, allied with impressive attention to detail that can
only come from painstaking rehearsal. The ebb and flow of the opening
first movement was realised with maturity far beyond the tender years
of the players, the heroic coda thrillingly paced. The occasional stamp
from the podium, that was clearly audible even from well back in the
stalls, could be forgiven as Tortelier clearly enjoyed himself as much
as the players. Both the wit and sinister elements of the Romeo and
Juliet inspired scherzo were evident in equal measure and although
the ensemble in the final Allegro giocoso may not always have
been perfect the infectious spirit of the playing came through to the
last. All in all music making with a feel good factor that many a top
flight orchestra will do well to emulate during the course of the season.
Finally, as Prom audiences are
justifiably lambasted by critics and music lovers alike for their ill
timed applause and apparent total lack of respect for others in the
audience, let alone the musicians on the stage (I would suggest reading
Melanie Eskenazi’s review of Prom
12 for more on this subject) it would
be wrong of me not to comment on an audience that was impeccably behaved.
This was my first Prom of the season and as the closing resonances of
each movement sounded I found myself stiffening in anticipation of the
barrage that never came. Had the NYO attracted a more educated audience
perhaps? Well, no doubt the heat had kept some away as the hall was
not as full as would have been expected but there were of course the
usual healthy number of family members and friends present to support
the players in force. Enthusiasm there was in abundance as testified
by the cheers that rung round the hall at the conclusion of the Prokofiev,
yet the silence between movements was gratifying to the degree that
it was not only the temperature that contributed to the warmth of a
satisfyingly complete concert experience.
Christopher Thomas
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