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Grieg, Schubert, Mozart, Piazzolla: The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (Strings), Julian Rachlin (soloist and director) Cadogan Hall, London 23.5.2009 (MMB)

Grieg: Holberg Suite Op. 40
Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata for Viola and Strings in A minor D821 (arr. Dobrinka Tabakova)
Mozart: Divertimento in D major K136
Piazzolla: Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires), (arr. Leonid Desyatnikov


Last Saturday night, the string section of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields presented a  Cadogan Hall  concert with violinist Julian Rachlin, which I can only describe as delightful and mesmerising. Whoever decided to organise it deserves to be congratulated because it was one of the most satisfying and pleasing performances that I have seen for a long time. Lithuanian-born Julian Rachlin is not only an exciting musician but also a violinist of rare virtuosity. The programme presented here seems to have aimed at displaying his amazing range and colourful interpretations; a goal it achieved most effectively.

The evening began with Grieg’s beautifully “old-fashioned” Holberg Suite, composed especially for the Bergen celebrations of the bicentenary of Ludvig Holberg’s birth. Holberg (1684-1754) was a native of Bergen, though he lived most of his life in Denmark and was most famous for establishing Danish as a literary language. Before him, Danish was used only for hymns and ballads; plays were performed in French or German. Grieg, also from Bergen, was  an admirer of Holberg and actively participated in the organisation of the bicentenary celebrations. His most famous contribution is this suite, which he initially wrote for piano and scored for strings the next year due to its immediate success. Grieg named the work “From Holberg’s time: Suite in Olden Style”, as he deliberately used the dance forms that might have been heard during Holberg’s lifetime, which in musical terms roughly corresponds to the late Baroque Period. The piece comprises five sections: Preludium, Sarabande, Gavotte, Air and Rigaudon. Rachlin, here playing first violin as part of the string ensemble, gave a wonderfully insightful performance of the piece. Their reading was vibrant and lively in the first and last sections, always the ones that leave the longest lasting impression on the listener. Contrastingly, the interpretation of the second section, Sarabande, was delightfully lyrical; the third, Gavotte, was happy; and the fourth, Air, was moving, with a soft, nearly tearful underlining of the almost mournful musical line. Wonderful from beginning to end!

Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata is one of my favourites, made unforgettable through the legendary recording by Mstislav Rostropovich and Benjamin Britten. For those unfamiliar with the instrument, the now largely defunct arpeggione was a kind of enlarged guitar with six strings that could be bowed in the style of the cello. As stated in the programme notes, it was invented by a Viennese guitar-maker named Johann Georg Staufer. The instrument is said to have possessed a beautiful sound but to have been very awkward to play and therefore disappeared only a few years after it was created. Nowadays, the piece is mostly played on the cello or the viola, as the solo instruments whose sound is closest to the original arpeggione, with piano accompaniment. At Cadogan Hall though, Rachlin and the Academy presented an arrangement for viola and strings written by the young Bulgarian-born but London-educated composer Dobrinka Tabakova (b. 1980). Schubert’s composition is an intensely moving and lyrically expressive piece that requires not only a brilliant technique but also a sensitive interpretation. While I think it is almost impossible to equal Rostropovich’s poetic rendition on the cello, since it cuts through the heart and nearly always leaves me in tears, particularly during the Adagio, I must say that Julian Rachlin’s performance on the viola had nearly the same impact. He is equally comfortable on the viola as the violin, displaying not only a perfect understanding of Schubert’s music but also of the characteristics of the viola’s sound. His rendition was simply beautiful, effectively balancing his virtuosity with the romantic lyricism of the piece and never allowing his radiant technique to overshadow the music. The accompaniment by the Strings from the Academy of St Martin in the Fields was sober and discreet, well judged and  cushioning Rachlin’s playing most effectively.

After the interval, Rachlin and the Academy returned to play Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major, a precocious little piece from the composer’s youthful years, written in perfect sonata form, in early 1772. It is a bright, sunny work, instantly recognisable as Mozart with perfect proportions and appealing melodic lines. As so often with Mozart’s compositions, it is deceptively simple but actually requires great musicianship and excellent technical skills. Rachlin, here again as part of the string ensemble, directing as well as playing, brought out a wonderfully uplifting performance. It was obvious that there was great rapport between him and the string players of the ASF and that they were enjoying themselves, reveling in  the composer’s happy mood.

The final piece was Astor Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) in an arrangement by the Russian composer Leonid Desyatnikov (b. 1955), especially created for Gidon Kremer and his orchestra Kremerata Baltica, which they recorded in a CD entitled 'Eight Seasons.' The stand out feature of this arrangement is the interweaving of Piazzolla’s Seasons with quotations from Vivaldi’s famous Le quattro stagioni. It is a vibrant, distinctive, colourful piece and evocative of a big, lively metropolis: the city of Buenos Aires. All four seasons  are technically difficult and require a good conversational understanding between orchestra and soloist. This was supremely achieved by Rachlin and the strings of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. The piece is a perfect vehicle for Rachlin’s undeniable virtuosity; however his playing is understated and he never loses sight of the music. His performance was perfectly balanced yet electrifying; stylish, sophisticated but never exaggerated. He injected each section with appropriately different levels of energy and enthusiasm, wonderfully expressing each season’s particular features. All four  were beautifully executed though, to my mind, Inverno (winter) stood out above all others. This was not only because melodically is the most appealing but because it demonstrated Rachlin’s ability to listen and to respond to the different orchestral sections of the music, most notably the dialogue between his violin with the first cello.  Interestingly, Rachlin explained later when he chose Inverno as his encore that it was his and the orchestra’s favourite part of Piazzolla’s piece; perhaps the  reason why it had such a big impact on the audience.

Deservedly, at the end of the night, Julian Rachlin and the Academy received a standing ovation. Sadly, Cadogan Hall was only half full, a shame for a concert of such artistic quality. Nevertheless, for those who were present, this was a memorable evening with fabulous music and great performances.

Margarida Mota-Bull


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