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Hughes, Mahler, Strauss and Wagner: Sir Thomas Allen (baritone), Sally Matthews (soprano), Southbank Sinfonia; Simon Over (conductor). Cadogan Hall, London 15.5.2008 (JPr)


There was so much goodwill on the stage for this gala evening which was described in some bed as 'Ein Musikalisches Fest' that any normal analytical criticism would not be appropriate. Friends and supporters of the Southbank Sinfonia were gathered to celebrate their abilities and achievements and to launch the 2009 ‘The Peter Hulsen Orchestral Award’. This will be a biennial award to provide an outstanding young singer with the opportunity to perform orchestral song.

The Southbank Sinfonia describes itself for those who do not know them as ‘A pioneering orchestra, (which) nurtures young professional talent; a vital link between conservatoire and the fast-changing music profession. It offers an intensive one year programme of performance and professional development – supported by bursary – for the exceptional players of tomorrow.'

The musical programme was an ambitious one featuring a fanfare by a living composer, Brian Hughes and compositions by the titanic triumvirate of Austro-German music, Mahler, Strauss and Wagner. Strauss was influenced by Mahler and all four composers were influenced by Wagner. Mahler said: ‘Strauss and I tunnel from opposite sides of the mountain. One day we shall meet.’ They took the epic narratives of nineteenth-century Romanticism, the symphonies of Beethoven and the music dramas by Wagner, which often ended in a sense of spiritual transcendence,  and then undermined them. They gloried in the sound that a late-Romantic orchestra could produce yet often added moments of irony, tension and instability. This is very challenging stuff for an ‘orchestral academy’ of less than 70 young musicians and the Southbank Sinfonia overcame it all with tremendous ability and confidence.

The opening fanfare Sabrina was commissioned for the 80th anniversary season of the Montgomeryshire Society. A feature of this genial concert was the introductions to the particular musical items by two young members of the orchestra and Sir Thomas Allen. He was there to remind us of what was in the printed programme and that ‘Sabrina’ was the original name given by Tacitus in the second century to the River Severn. The president of the Montgomeryshire Society, Lord Thomas, is a supporter of the orchestra and had apparently brought many of the Society’s members to London with him. The programme note also suggested there was in this work ‘the occasional musical tribute to the genius of Richard Wagner … whose Meistersinger prelude appears in this concert.’ In reality the musical roots of the rousing fanfare (a traditional mix of brass and percussion) were undeniably Celtic rather than Germanic yet it got the evening off to a suitably ceremonial start.

Sir Thomas Allen is a patron of the Southbank Sinfonia and was principally present to sing five of Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn songs. In the absence of the translations in the error-prone programme he gave a jovial introduction to the texts such as when he had spoken about Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt he then talked about Rheinlegendchen as follows: ‘One fish coming home from hearing St. Anthony give a very fine sermon with nothing to do but eat the ring (that had been thrown into the Rhine). It’s a bit like Burl Ives because it is then caught by an angler … (when it is served up) just standing by the fish as it is cut open on the plate is the girl the ring was meant for.’ Almost right on cue there was much ‘Ahhing’ from the audience at the cuteness of the tale!

As for Sir Thomas’s performance, there were many moments when memories of his past triumphs came flooding back. His German diction was impeccable and there was some nice vocal control such as at the line ‘bei meiner Herzallerliebsten’ in Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen and few these days can roll their Rs as wonderfully for ‘dein rosiger Mund’ in Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht? Yet time marches on and in this quick song and elsewhere a shortness of breath was often evident.

When Sir Thomas had finished singing. it became clear that there was to be no interval. The Mondscheinmusik from Capriccio was then introduced by one of the orchestra mentioning how this was ‘the last music Strauss conducted and then he put down his baton and left. Later to declare “I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer!” ’ It was an eloquent statement of the music underpinning the Countess’s indecision between the two men in her life,  yet it  lacked the refulgence that larger orchestral forces might give it.

When Sir Thomas returned he said ‘Listening to Capriccio brought back so many memories – none of which I can mention!’ He was back to welcome to the platform Sally Matthews (who was announced as the Patron of ‘The Peter Hulsen Orchestral Song Award’) to sing Strauss’s Four Last Songs. This outstanding young singer gave a near perfect account of these songs which deal with approaching death (perhaps the composer’s own?) with resignation and calmness. Ms Matthews herself appears to have a wonderful serenity and inner stillness combined with a pure tone and subtle phrasing. There is a ‘but’ I’m afraid because I heard very few German words until her encore, an unannounced additional Strauss song Cäcilie where every ‘Wenn du es wüsstest’ was clearly understood. This plus the fact she sang a bit too introspectively made the Four Last Songs, as impressive as they were, slightly  too much like vocalese. However she is an outstanding talent with a wonderful chest register and therefore clearly much more a high mezzo than a soprano since the Wagner roles for her that came to mind were Fricka, Waltraute and Brangäne. I look forward to hearing her many more times in the coming years.

A gloriously rumbustious Prelude to Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg To concluded a splendid evening of enjoyable music which made up for the lack of warm tone in the over-worked string section, with enthusiasm from the brass. The introduction given to this piece singled out the attention that should be given to Karen Hutt on the triangle when ‘all the Mastersingers’ themes come together’. Valiantly the percussionist gave the instrument a single strike about half way through; then the several sets of four and then some more towards the end. Her contribution was one end of the spectrum of a young musician’s contribution and Jake Rea’s evocative violin during Strauss’s ‘Im Abendrot’ was the other. Simon Over, an accomplished piano accompanist and conductor of the Malcolm Sargent Festival Chorus, was the understated conductor of the Southbank Sinfonia and coaxed playing of considerable refinement from his accomplished young ensemble. Much  fun was had by all.

Jim Pritchard


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