SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

SEEN AND HEARD UK CONCERT  REVIEW
 

Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky: Viktoria Postnikova (piano) Philharmonia Orchestra, Yuri Temirkanov (conductor), Royal Festival Hall, London. 29.6.2010 (GD)

Prokofiev: Cinderella, Suite No.1, Op. 107 - excerpts. 

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op.16

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 'Pathetique'.

This was the last in a series of three concerts devoted to the music of Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky given by the Philharmonia and Yuri Temirkanov. Boris Berezovsky, scheduled to play the Prokofiev concerto, pulled out of the engagement and was replaced at very short notice,  by Viktoria Postnikova. She gave a grand performance of the concerto, rather in the manner of some  of the older Russian pianists such as Maria Yudina and Tatiana Nikolayeva. When I say 'grand' I am referring to something more specific than a general musical largesse and allude particularly to Postnikova's ability to encompass a whole range of different musical/pianistic elements, from quiet lryricism to dazzling 'modernist' harmonic/contrupuntal constellations. This extraordinary pianism came into its own in the first movement’s immense - almost Panglossian - cadenza, with its references to Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and even a trace of Bach in its extended toccata style. The D minor second movement Scherzo was also impressive with Postnikova's clear delineation of its semiquaver octaves. The return to a grim G minor marcato figure,  initiated by the piano in the third movement Intermezzo was radiant in its delivery, with a  very well rehearsed and persistent extension of stark rhythms in the orchestra’s lower registers reminding one of Stravinsky's 'Le Sacre', which actually had impressed Prokofiev. The composer’s standard 1923 revised version was used and the relentless rhythmic harshness carries over into the last movement Allegro tempestoso with some lighter relief in the shape of variations on Russian folk-tunes in the second subject. This array of staggering diversity was delivered with real musical understanding by Postnikova, with another superb delivery of the long kaleidoscopic cadenza. This was impressive playing with empathetic accompaniment from Temirkanov, and despite a few rhythmic inaccuracies at the beginning of the concerto,  much more rewarding than the narrow virtuosity heard so often today.

As far as I can discern, Temirkanov has recorded the 'Pathetique' symphony at least four times, mainly with Russian orchestras, so it is something of a Temirkanov 'speciality'. Initially this empathy came over with a very careful delineation of the opening B minor theme in the basses and bassoons but attention to detail in phrasing was also evident in the Allegro non troppo uptake of the opening theme in the violas. By the time we arrived at the great melody initially stated in the violins however, marked 'ritenuto' but also 'moderato mosso', with movement, Temikarnov's eye was decidedly on the 'ritenuto' marking, and the great melody, which some have seen as a homage to the 'Flower Song' from Bizet's Carmen, dragged , as a result. The crash that initiates the development section  also sounded loud ( especially in the timpani - more like ffff than ff, as marked ) rather than dramatically arresting.

Though the development is given as 'Allegro vivo', the metronome marking ( at 144) suggests a fast, but steady tempo. But here, and as noted previously in his earlier concerts, Temirkanov tended to let the fast tempo run away with him, finding it necessary to make a substantial gear shift ritenuto by the time he reached the climax with its Wotan-like descending trombones over a sustained pedal in the bass register. Yet again, the timpanist played something very different fom the composers ffff crescendo/decrescendo roll; more like an ffff assault which sounded totally at odds with the sense of a sustained build-up of tension and catastrophe. I also noticed that in the development section, the timpanist took several rhythmic short-cuts, which really should have been checked by the conductor!. 

The second movement waltz in 5/4 time was nicely paced, as was the pedal held trio. But was this really as 'grazia' as the composer intended?/ Although elegantly played, with some impressively 'dolce' woodwind, a certain blandness in phrasing crept into the proceedings. Compared with conductors like Mravinsky, and Erich Kleiber, this lacked a sense of balletic enchantment. The third movement, which Tovey called a 'gigantic march', sounded somewhat rushed. The movement is certainly marked 'Allegro molto vivace and under a conductor like Mravinsky a thrilling result can be achieved. By contrast tonight, we had speed without sufficient rhythmic. Grasp and when the great tutti march theme was restated, before the movement’s coda, , for reasons only known to him, Temikarnov introduced an intrusive ritenuto, which sounded regressive (more akin to the antics of a Mengelberg) and meretricious although some people in the audience felt excited enough to applaud, and to shout 'bravo'! This unwelcome and ignorant intrusion was exacerbated by the conductor’s decision to go right into the finale, 'attacca' style, although to be fair this was possibly to detract from such antics.

The finale Adagio Lamentoso gained by being taken at more or less a sustained tempo, which, in contrast to the first movement’s great melody, never dragged.The first statement of the second subject’s ghostly hymn like theme lacked a certain spectral quality but Temirkanov paced the build up to the catastrophic climax, re-instating the home key B minor  convincingly. The 'distant' single stroke on the gong made its effect, but lacked a certain discreteness, not 'veiled' sufficiently. In the 'utter despair' of the concluding threnody,   the basses could have inflected the underlying throbbing figure ( a superb touch of drama which  enhances the mood of tragedy) with more punctuation and sustained tension. Even so, this was a fitting conclusion to a variable but interesting trio of concerts.

There was plenty of interest in the concert’s opening work which Prokofiev wrote early 1940s, As a ballet score ‘Cinderella’ has never been as popular as 'Romeo and Juliet', but it contains, at least arguably, some more inventive composition and orchestration than the earlier work. Temirkanov conducts the First Suite that Prokofiev assembled and arranged from the complete ballet frequently; a kind of showcase piece he plays with his St Petersburg orchestra. The Philharmonia responded keenly and of particular excellence were the contrast of delicacy and the grotesque in the 'Fairy Godmother and Winter Fairy' and the cool elegance of Cinderella's waltz. I would love to hear the complete ballet under Temirkanov's direction.

Geoff Diggines