SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

 

Fascinating programming here. Cherubini’s Medée Overture rubbed shoulders with Schumann’s bright and breezy First Symphony (“Spring”) for the first half; a Simon Holt London premiere and Richard Strauss’ playful account of Till Eulenspiegel’s life concluded.

 

It was a joy to hear the Cherubini overture, especially in a performance as tight and as dark as this one. Phrasing was everywhere intelligent; the timpani’s hard sticks added backbone. Pared down strings (down to six cellos and four double-basses) enabled textures to be clear. A lovely way to begin.

 

Schumann’s First Symphony, the so-called “Spring”, is a delightful piece. I remain puzzled as to the randomised applause from various factions of the audience which appeared during pauses that clearly were not at the end of the piece. A shame, as the performance was bright and chirpy, with brilliant brass fanfares at the opening, a well-sustained development after the repeated exposition, a larghetto that boasted long, flowing lines and radiant harmonies and a lovely, giocoso finale. Again, though, there was some inexplicable randomised applause during the finale. Fischer is a fine, musical conductor, and this piece showed him at his best

 

Simon Holt (born 1958) is one of our brightest lights. His a table of noises dates from 2006-7 and is a percussion concerto written for, and in consultation with, the soloist on the present occasion, Colin Currie. Currie is a percussion virtuoso par excellence and Holt’s writing played to his strengths The piece’s inspiration was both the idea of a tabletop of percussion instruments (itself inspired by the Peruvian mesa de ruidos, the “table of noises”) and by the composer’s Great Uncle Ash, who was a taxidermist. There are six main movements, each bearing a title that hearkens back to some memory of Uncle Ash; there are also five movements called “ghost”, which act as interludes. The piece lasts around half an hour. Holt’s ear is remarkable. Two piccolo players are positioned at ends of the orchestra, an orchestra that includes no violins but does include ten brass and woodwind instruments characterised by their extremes of register. I liked what may be possibly referred to as “Gershwin chords” at one point; humour came through in the use of a klaxon. Complexity is very definitely part of Holt’s armoury, but so is great subtlety and, for the final movement (“under glass”), Holt presents us with a kind of frozen processional. Gripping.

 

Strauss’ Till Eulenspiegel is perhaps the perfect way to close a Prom and a special mention should go perhaps for the contributions of the BBC NOW’s leader, Lesley Hatfield. Fischer’s conducting technique was exemplary, and the orchestra reacted perfectly to Till’s cartoon exploits – brass, in particular, showed themselves capable of blazes of colour.

 

Colin Clarke