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Grieg, Vaughan Williams, Ravel, Holst: Vilde Frang (violin), London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir/Vladimir Jurowski, Royal Festival Hall, London, 22.5.09 (J-PJ)

Grieg: Peer Gynt: Suite 1
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
Ravel: Tzigane
Holst: The Planets


Every now and then you attend a concert that makes you sit up and listen, and realise how fortunate we are in having so many excellent orchestras in London. This concert by the London Philharmonic under their principal conductor Vladimir Jurowski, was one of those occasions. Their rendition of Grieg’s first Peer Gynt suite was exceedingly well played. Tightly controlled strings and firm woodwind (particularly the flute) gave the piece a tautness and strength that highlighted its dramatic origins but also revealed its rich, complex sonorities. My only complaint was that the central section of the second movement, ‘The Death of Aase’ sounded a little mechanical. But the orchestra quickly livened up for a rough and ready peasant stomp in the final ‘Hall of the Mountain King’.

Young Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang took the solo part in Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending. Aged just 23, Frang showed astonishing technical brilliance. But perhaps her relative youth left her interpretation a little impersonal at times. This was most evident in the opening, which sounded rather tense, even squeaky. She relaxed further into the piece, and the ensuing sections were played with a growing confidence, aided by very close support from the orchestra.

Frang’s technical skill served her well in Ravel’s Tzigane, which is mainly a virtuosic showcase. She appeared to have no problem negotiating the intricate trills, double stopping, shifts in tempi and other technical minefields, while capturing the gypsy-inspired rhythms that pulsate throughout the piece. The fast and furious ending was riveting, and Vilde Frang is definitely a performer to watch out for.

Jurowski and the LPO were able to showcase their own brilliance  fully in Holst’s suite The Planets. The opening ‘Mars, the Bringer of War’ heaved with menace and militaristic aggression, although the urgent tempo continued into the second movement, so that ‘Venus, the Bringer of Peace’ felt a little too rushed. This tendency towards a faster pace was not necessarily a bad thing in the outer ‘allegro giocoso’ sections of ‘Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity’, but was misplaced in ‘Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age’, which sounded more like the onward march of time rather than the dreaded onset of old age. Still, the orchestra’s fleetness of foot and disciplined virtuosity under Jurowski’s eagle-eyed direction proved a winning combination in ‘Mercury, the Winged Messenger’, with its slippery strings and effervescent woodwind. The orchestra’s take on ‘Uranus, the Magician’ was also spot on – jovial and sinister by turns, with superb brass playing. Fortunately, there was no rush to get through ‘Neptune, the Mystic’, which moved majestically into the outer reaches of space, echoed by a chorus of women’s voices that remained hidden off-stage.

John-Pierre Joyce


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