SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD UK  CONCERT  REVIEW
 

Mozart, Mendelssohn, Mahler: James Ehnes (violin), Sarah-Jane Brandon (soprano), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko (conductor). Guild Hall, Preston 3.11.2010 (MC)

Mozart: Overture, Il Seraglio, K384 (1781/82)

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 (1844)
Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G major (1892, 1899/1900)


I have heard it said that a benchmark of the progress and excellence of a conductor is how he conducts Mahler symphonies. If that is the case then Vasily Petrenko has yet again elevated his increasing status.

First the audience was treated to a briskly exuberant rendition of Mozart’s overture, Il Seraglio - a score dominated by strings with lots of thumping drums. This, of course, is from the opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio). With its Austro/German view of attractive and exotic Turkish themes what an excellent choice Il Seraglio was to both prime the orchestra and entertain the audience!

Mendelssohn worked closely on his Violin Concerto in E Minor with the eminent virtuoso Ferdinand David. Mendelssohn had a particular gift for melody and James Ehnes was clearly eminently suited to this cultivated romantic concerto that overflows with an abundance of memorable and beautiful themes. The determined sounding opening movement was played with urgency, though hurdling a little too quickly after the cadenza. I was struck how the unerring Ehnes played the inventive cadenza with an unforced virtuosity. The lyrical Andante was given a heart-rending performance by the soloist with Petrenko attentive never to let the music drag, and I loved the rousing final movement climax.

The previous week I had heard Ehnes play the first Bartók concerto with the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester and have became accustomed to his smooth effortless style. At times I felt he was unable to communicate much in the way of personality. Clean and precise Ehnes’s sweet sounding ex-Marsick Stradivarius of 1715 carried adequately through the hall. A real treat was Ehnes’s superbly played encore of a J.S. Bach sonata movement.

It was pleasing that the Liverpool Phil had programmed a substantial and appealing score like the Mahler Symphony No. 4 in G major for this Preston concert. Musicologist Deryck Cooke wrote that of the Mahler symphonies the fourth was, “the simplest and least overshadowed by dark thoughts.” The final movement of this gratifying symphony uses a setting of Das Himmlische Leben (The Heavenly Life) from the Des Knaben Wunderhorn collection of German folk poetry.

Bright sounding sleigh bells opened the first movement. Petrenko provided a comforting and unrushed sound world containing an attractive Viennese lilt to the playing. Designed as a series of dances the Scherzo has a prominent role for the leader playing a tuned-up violin in the manner of a village fiddler. With orchestral playing as fine as I have heard in a long time Petrenko brought out an impressive spectrum of colours.

The slow movement is one of Mahler’s most dignified and affecting creations that Petrenko handled with the lightest of touches. I was enamoured by the heavenly string playing displaying the ability to play beautifully soft. Highly effective was the weight of the forceful orchestral climax towards the end of the movement.

Soprano Sarah-Jane Brandon who had had to sit through around forty-five minutes of music was a first-rate choice for the concluding movement. In full accord with Petrenko I enjoyed the soprano’s endearingly fresh and rather understated singing of the child’s innocent vision of heaven. Without resorting to emotional excess Petrenko’s well-judged speed brought the score to rest impressively.

Although the Liverpool Phil is a well balanced orchestra there were some standout performances. The string section doesn’t have a voluminous sound but communicates a lovely tone, principally the mellow timbre of the cellos. Often a weak link in an orchestra, these horns play beautifully in tune. The woodwind section gets better and better with the principal clarinet excelling.

With something for everybody this concert programme was hard to beat. James Ehnes was a splendid soloist in the Mendelssohn violin concerto with Vasily Petrenko and the Liverpool Phil producing a glorious and highly memorable account of the Mahler. From their enthusiastic response the Preston audience certainly realise what an exceptional conductor they have in Petrenko.

Michael Cookson