Elgar, Schubert: Tasmin Little, violin, Gävle Symphony Orchestra, Robin Ticciati, conductor, at Gävle Concert Hall, 7.9.2007 (GF)

A look at the programme for the new season reveals that Robin Ticciati, the young and charismatic artistic leader of Gävle Symphony Orchestra, plays safe but at the same time launches interesting music off the beaten track. Alongside the established composers and their  standard symphonies and concertos we find names like Composer in Residence Tobias Broström with a work that still hasn’t got a title, Janson, Keuris, Liadov, Lindberg, Linde, Munktell and Takemitsu. Next year Gävle celebrate Bo Linde, who was born 75 years ago, with a performance of his violin concerto with Karen Gomyo as soloist. She recorded the work with the orchestra a few years ago.

The opening concert this autumn offered  standard repertoire however, even though Elgar’s violin concerto isn’t heard that often in Sweden - the cello concerto is a great deal more common. The charming Tasmin Little, dressed in white, delivered a deeply involved and concentrated reading of the solo part and she was backed up by glorious playing of the orchestra, which sounded bigger than it actually is. Gävle Symphony Orchestra has long been a splendid ensemble but it seems that since Robin Ticciati took over as chief conductor a year and a half ago they have grown further.

He wallowed in the emotional opening, which in his dynamic reading felt like the surge of a tsunami, and Tasmin Little responded with glowing tone and intensity. The andante was lyrically restrained and the cadenza in the finale was a thing of great beauty. Ticciati whipped up the tension during the final pages and the concerto ended gloriously. The audience – the hall was practically sold out – responded with standing ovations and overall this was Elgar playing of the highest order.

After the interval,  Ticciati served a fresh and youthful version of Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major. In a more heavy-handed reading this work can seem interminable but Ticciati kept it moving with a springy second movement, taking very literally the con moto. The scherzo was swift and Mendelssohnian and the finale powerful but still with a light touch.

Robin Ticciati’s appearance on the rostrum is  natural and unaffected. There are no big gestures and poses, all his movements are integrated with the music – a view that was confirmed by a musician I talked to during the interval. “He never messes things up”, he said. I heard Ticciati conducting the orchestra two years ago, then still as guest, and was impressed but his working on a regular basis with the orchestra has no doubt been fruitful. The orchestra's management  has backed a winning horse.

 

Göran Forsling

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