SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Sibelius, Wagner: Vilde Frang (violin), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Donald Runnicles (conductor), Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 3.10.2010 (SRT)

Sibelius: Violin Concerto

Wagner: Die Walküre, Act 1

Heidi Melton (sop) – Sieglinde

Stuart Skelton (tenor) – Siegmund

Reinhard Hagen (bass) - Hunding

Over the last few months I’ve become more and more convinced of how great it is to be a music lover in Scotland today. The RSNO is thriving under the leadership of Stéphane Denève and Robin Ticciati is leading a resurgent Scottish Chamber Orchestra – let’s quickly pass over the current issues with Scottish Opera... This evening’s concert confirms the health of Scottish music making with resounding triumph. Having Donald Runnicles, a world class Wagnerian, conducting Walküre in Edinburgh with such a fantastic cast is a musical treat fit for a king, and his effect was palpable on his orchestra who played the score with all the skill, variety and colour that you would associate with many more famous central European ensembles. The ensemble work was razor sharp throughout with clear cut brass and strings that hurled themselves into the music with passionate abandon. Runnicles himself unfurled the vast scope of the score with a certainty that flows from years of experience in the opera house: it may all lead up to Siegmund’s pulling the sword from the tree but there are plenty of peaks and troughs where the pulse should quicken or slow as the music demands. Runnicles controlled the unfolding drama with the skill of a consummate storyteller, moulding each phrase and episode so as to point up the drama while losing none of the beauty. Singers and conductor knew when to hold something in reserve so that when the big moments came the emotional impact was shattering.

The trio of singers were outstanding. Stuart Skelton’s Siegmund is a Heldentenor the like of which we’re told you just don’t get any more. The big climaxes, such as retrieving the sword or his cries of Wälse!, rang with authority that made the scalp prickle, but the gentler moments were beautiful and Winterstürme pulsated with barely contained passion. He was ably partnered by Heidi Melton whose soprano was more lyrical than dramatic, exactly what you hope for in Sieglinde. She established the character’s vulnerability at the outset but the rich, creamy top of her voice bloomed magnificently for Du bist der Lenz and the climactic declarations of love. Reinhard Hagen, a classic Wagnerian profundo, dominated the action during his exchanges, using his cavernous bass to establish Hunding as a creature of dark malevolence.

This great performance nearly had the effect of upstaging a strong reading of Sibelius’ violin concerto from a remarkable young soloist, Vilde Frang standing in for an indisposed Janine Jansen. No-one would have complained of being short changed by this extraordinary talent. Her control of structure was compelling, but even more captivating was the maturity that she brought to the dynamics, never afraid to shade her tone down to the softest pianissimo, barely audible as the first movement trembled into its opening bars. Runnicles accompanied with a reading of power and grandeur, particularly from the weighty string section, but it is easily for the Wagner that this evening will live long in my memory.

Simon Thompson