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Beethoven, Martinů, Anderson, Nielsen: Frank Peter Zimmermann (violin), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste (conductor), Royal Festival Hall, London 15.12.2010 (CR)

Beethoven – Overture, Egmont

Martinů – Violin Concerto No 2

Julian Anderson – The Stations of the Sun

Nielsen – Symphony No 5

This was an interesting and varied programme with Nationalism as a theme; Beethoven was the Romantic pioneer with the development of a strong National style, and Nielsen, Martinů and Anderson all use elements of folk music from their respective countries in their music.

Beethoven’s Egmont Overture provided a solid and fine opening to the concert, with Saraste at the helm of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The rich sounding and tightly together string section immediately impressed, with the winds providing additional colour throughout. This was a well paced performance with a bright sound and excellent control.

Bohuslav Martinů was one of the leading Czech composers of his generation. He studied with Roussel and was influenced by Debussy, and elements of both of these composers can be detected in his Second Violin Concerto, composed in 1943. The opening of the work, with its arresting harmonies and dark mood, sets up the atmosphere, blending romantic and modernist elements to create Martinů’s unique musical language. Folk-influenced rhythms can also be detected, and the use of simple textures allows the colours of the orchestra to come through. This was a well-balanced performance, which gave a sense that the orchestra was not holding back, but nevertheless never threatened to overpower the soloist. The spine tingling climax in the first movement was memorable, as was the clarity of the cadenza, Zimmermann playing musically, with a sense of poignant nostalgia. The second movement was light and lyrical, with a lilting violin melody capably accompanied by the orchestra. Once again, Martinů’s music had clean lines and a sense of simplicity, without losing an enjoyable richness of harmony. The final movement felt a little rhythmically unsettled between the orchestra and the soloist, but was nevertheless enjoyable. Overall, this was an excellent performance which had much to offer.

Julian Anderson has recently become the London Philharmonic’s Composer in Residence. The Stations of the Sun was a 1998 BBC Proms commission, and uses large orchestral forces. The music relates to a year in British folk tradition, and incorporates syncopated rhythms, plainsong and bells. This was a fascinating piece, which had varied orchestral colours and felt much shorter than one would expect of its 18 minute duration. One could detect resonances of Tristan Murail’s spectral style, and well-considered orchestration resulted in clarity of texture despite the complexity of the material. This was a committed and convincing performance and I look forward to hearing the fruits of the LPO’s newest composer collaboration.

The final work in the programme was Nielsen’s two-movement 5^th Symphony. Nielsen’s role in symphonic development, pioneering the notion of progressive tonality (starting a symphony in one key and ending in another) can be clearly heard through the course of this piece, with its sense of struggle between pitch centres. The military-themed first movement was strong and powerful, with its dominating side drum solo, transparent textures and breathtaking harmonies. This performance had a real sense of growing intensity and was one of the best I have heard. The second movement lost some clarity in the fast passages, but was otherwise exciting and dramatic, and performed with panache.

Carla Rees