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SEEN AND HEARD UK
CONCERT REVIEW
Haydn and Strauss - A Hero’s Life : Soloists, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons (Conductor) Symphony Hall, Birmingham 27.6.2009 (GR)
Haydn: Nelson Mass
Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
This was certainly an evening fit for heroes. Two had direct
connections to the works on offer – Nelson, whose name Haydn’s Missa
in Angustiis assumed after a performance in honour of the
English Sea Lord, and Richard Strauss whose Heldenleben
(A Hero’s Life) was something of a self-aggrandizement. There was a
third, Andris Nelsons the Sea Lord’s near namesake and the CBSO’s Music
Director. To mark the occasion of the last concert of his first full
season with the orchestra, Nelsons addressed his growing fan club and
admitted that both composers were indeed heroes of his. What he didn’t
bargain for was an accident with a glass of water, but this was
humorously linked to the problems encountered by many true heroes.
Nelsons thanked the Birmingham audience for their support, believing
them to be all heroes too, but it is surely he who has already become
the really heroic figure for the public
Redundancy is not only a modern day experience. When Haydn’s
patron Prince Esterházy had financial problems in 1798, he laid off the
entire woodwind section of his court orchestra. The Nelson
Mass had to be composed with the vocal accompaniment limited
to strings, organ, natural trumpets and timpani. This explained the
rare sight of the chorus on the main stage rather than in their usual
rear elevated location. Generating an intimacy between Nelsons and all
the performers it paid handsome dividends.
The choir plays a vital role in the Missa in
Angustiis and the Birmingham Symphony Chorus were on
impressive form throughout. They created an immediate impact in the
initial Kyrie withthe three clarini
and drums adding a military feel. The minor key was reminiscent of the
menacing cloud that Napoleon cast over occupied Austria as Haydn was
putting the finishing touches to his score.
The soprano soloist, Carolyn Sampson (replacing the indisposed
Claire Booth) dispelled much of the gloom with diamanté brilliance in
the first section of the Gloria. Her spark ignited
the chorus in a movement that for me illustrated Haydn’s influence on
Beethoven. Bass Graeme Broadbent earnestly implored us to hear his
prayers in the Qui tollis, an adagio
supplication; the choir and Sampson supported reverently. Sampson led
the return to the allegro celebrations of Quoniam
tu solus, including a sprightly quartet from all four
soloists. The three sections of the Gloria were
moulded together by Nelsons’ expressive hands, the first time I had
seen him conduct a complete work without a baton.
The choir was very believable as they launched into the
canonic Credo. The strings then set the standard
with a pastoral introduction to Et Incarnatus, a
sentiment delicately echoed by the ex Maria Virgine
from Sampson. The celebrations of Et resurrexit
rang loud and clear from the chorus as the key became distinctly major.
The brief Sanctus demonstrated the control
that the CBSO singers had over dynamics and tempo, rehearsed to
perfection on this occasion by Chorus Master David Lawrence. The
orchestral beginning of the Benedictus reminded me
of earlier Haydn Sturm und Drang days, an
impression that dissolved once the strings began to share what seemed
to be one of Haydn’s musical jokes. Once again Sampson led the choir
into some serene exchanges, but the strings again made light of the
Latin script. Haydn loved to tease an audience.
The tranquil opening to Agnus Dei
highlighted Hilary Summers, a genuine contralto who brought warmth to
her contributions throughout. As Sampson, Broadbent and Ed Lyon (who
sang the tenor line with a fresh and clear delivery) joined in, the
four voices balanced perfectly for their quartet. The choir, aided by
the ringing trumpets and firm beat of the drums, deservedly had the
last word with their joyous entreaty Dona nobis pacem.
The dramatis personae assembled for the second half
was vastly different – no singers, simply the full complement of the
CBSO. And they were all needed to enact the events of Strauss’s Heldenleben.
Although through-composed, the six distinct sections were spelt out on
the surtitle screen by labels that disappeared from later editions of
the score at the insistence of the composer. Did he believe he had gone
too far in the show-off stakes? Perhaps, but I believe they assisted my
appreciation and understanding of this symphonic autobiography.
A sense of heroism was induced from the onset as the horns and cellos
swelled with pride to introduce The Hero leitmotiv.
Shades from Eroica were given the full machismo
treatment by Nelsons and the CBSO; Strauss’ musical adventure with life
had begun. In the following The Hero’s Adversaries,
the woodwind section of the orchestra showed they could mix it with the
best of them; their squealing sounds mocking the caricatures of
Strauss’ critics. Life’s struggles continued in The Hero’s
Companion, a reference to the composer’s wife. In the
programme, Stephen Johnson attributed Strauss with ‘My wife’s a bit
rough, but she’s what I need’. Well, there was nothing rough about the
violin playing from CBSO leader Laurence Jackson, equally proficient
with moods of discord and tenderness – a virtuosic performance.
The excitement mounted as the scene moved onto The
Hero’s Battle Ground, a metaphor for the composer’s own
personal struggles. The outcome of the conflict was always in doubt,
but no one engaged more fiercely in the clangorous exchanges than
Nelsons, shaking his fist to the beat on one occasion. The front desks
of the CBSO were under baton-attack, arching over them as he put his
back into the task. One casualty was a page of score that found its way
onto the platform, but Nelsons and his troops fought on unfazed. The
Hero’s Works of Peace recalled several of Strauss’s previous
tone poems (particularly Also sprach Zarathrustra)
but the memories evoked were far from contented ones as the heavy brass
confirmed. The elegiacHero's Withdrawal from the World
reproduced the essence of Strauss – intense, yet melodic – culminating,
like the Haydn piece in a peaceful conclusion.
The concert lived up to its name. Let’s hope there will be
more exhilarating and heroic ones from the CBSO next year, now Andris
Nelsons has established himself at the helm. The bar has already been
set pretty high.
Geoff Read