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Debussy, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky: Helen Grimaud (piano) London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski, Royal Festival Hall, London 26.11.2008 (GD).

Debussy: Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien: Fragments symphoniques

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No 6 in B minor ‘Pathetique’


It was a nice piece of programming to include this little performed piece of mature Debussy and Jurowski coaxed some nuanced phrasing and playing from the orchestra, especially in the two last movements. At times the music didn’t flow as it should, and used to, when Pierre Monteux conducted it, but Jurowski and the orchestra responded well to Debussy’s subtle and varied orchestral shades, sonorities, dynamics, bi-tonal harmonic clusters and cascading figurations. The woodwind were particularly fine here and blended perfectly with Debussy’s veiled and mysterious soundscape; all well balanced by Jurowski. 

In normal concert terms this was a fine performance of the Rachmaninov 2 with consistent broad, but flowing, tempi, a nice balance between piano and orchestra, and a welcome lack of sentimental indulgence in the concertos big tunes. But having said this, I did not think this was Grimaud at her best. There was a certain four-square quality in some of her phrasing, and although she was always with the orchestra, or they with her, I didn’t have the impression that she was really involved! Perhaps she has played this particular ‘war-horse’ too often! Although things improved in the final ‘Allegro scherzando’ with Jurowski getting some mercurial and crisp, accurate rhythms in the orchestra, this didn’t really compensate for the lack of inspiration in the performance as a whole.  
 
Jurowski and the LPO have played the ‘Pathetique’ symphony on many occasions and he has his own clear, and distinct, interpretive views on Tchaikovsky’s greatest symphony. Jurowski favours a direct and straightforward approach with plenty of dynamic contrast but a minimum of rhetorical indulgence – although tonight the ‘Adagio’ introduction did drag somewhat, with rather exaggerated (in length) rests. Although the crash which initiates the first movement development was clearly articulated rhythmically, it lacked that sense of drama one hears (feels) with conductors like Mravinsky and Toscanini. This lack equally applied to the rest of the development and the great ‘catastrophic’ ffff climax sounded underpowerd; played with precision and accuracy but lacking all sense of dramatic involvement.

Similarly the rest of the symphony went quite well with some clear and balanced playing, especially in the second movement waltz. But here I didn’t hear that lilting grace and semblance of melancholy (particularly in the mezzo ostinato beat of the trio) so distinctly contoured with the two conductors mentioned above. The great third movement march was a rather light–weight affair and the main tutti statement of the march was far too fast and lacking that essential rhythmic attack/bite clearly indicated in score. And despite some clearly accented pizzicato figurations at the close of the finale the single stroke on the gong was far too loud…it should sound ominous, but distant, and more integrated within the sombre tones of the orchestra.  Also the final B minor climax was far too tame, lacking all sense of the apocalyptic devastation implied in the score. 

All this was not helped by some irritating clapping after the third movement march, with Jurowski, who was clearly annoyed by this, launching directly into the finale. Also someone idiotically clapped directly after the last chord of the finale, damaging that sense of silent desolation which follows. There was all manner of extraneous mechanical noises…recalcitrant pacemakers? And one member of the audience decided to get up and change seats just at the ppppp which precedes the first movement crash and development!

Geoff Diggines


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