SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Frank Martin, Rossini, Schubert : BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Thierry Fischer. Cheltenham Town Hall, 22.1.2010 (RJ)

There was a strong Swiss element in the BBC NOW's concert: a Swiss conductor (Thierry Fischer), a legendary Swiss hero (William Tell) and a Swiss composer (Frank Martin) whose distinctive voice deserves to be  better known. I often feel orchestral musicians have a thankless task. Most of them are tucked away out of sight within the body of the orchestra and while they are expected to contribute to the collective excellence of a performance, the limelight always falls on the conductor.

Fortunately, there are a few works which bring them out of the shadows. One of these is Martin's Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments in which several of the orchestra's principals were placed centre stage in full view of the audience. Adopting classical forms the work opens with a bubbly motto theme which was taken up by each of the instruments in turn with discreet support from the strings. This led to lively altercations until a dreamy theme on the clarinet (played by Robert Plane) put a brake on the excitement. The pace accelerated again providing plenty of scope for the virtuosity of the players until the movement drew to a subdued close. Shades of Haydn's Clock Symphony were evident in the slow movement with the upper strings setting a steady tick tock beat with staccato accompaniment from the cellos and double basses. There was a pensive, almost lugubrious, feel to this theme and variations movement apart from a more serene passage in the middle. The Rondo finale proved to be a more playful affair, and even offered a solo spot for the two percussionists. But the emphasis was again on the wind soloists (including David Cowley, Jaroslaw Augustnyak, Tim Thorpe, Philippe Schartz and Donal Bannister) who acquitted themselves with energy and distinction in a movement which grew in intensity before reaching a raucous conclusion. It is unfortunate that we get so little opportunity to hear Frank Martin's music in this country. He has a very distinctive musical voice and his obvious appreciation for of the potential of each wind instrument made the work especially rewarding for both audience and soloist alike.

Principal cellist John Center savoured his moment of glory in the opening of Rossini's William Tell Overture. His warm, lyrical solo well supported by the rest of the cello section was followed by to a powerful evocation of a storm from the full orchestra, a lyrical section on the French horn and the rousing galop which left one breathless.

There was an engaging freshness about the orchestra's performance of this popular "warhorse". Conductor Thierry Fischer may dress like a Swiss banker but when it comes to music he is a man of passion, and this was particularly evident in his account of Schubert's Great C Major Symphony.  The performance was a thrill from start to finish with no let-up in the momentum of the music which abounded in nervous energy, variety and colour. The brass may have been too prominent at times, but this did not detract from the quality of this titanic performance which, though it may have exhausted the orchestral players, kept the audience fully engaged and on the edge of their seats from start to finish.

Roger Jones