SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

New Year’s Concert -  Mozart Unwrapped: Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano), Sophie Bevan (soprano), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Jonathan Cohen (conductor), Hall One, Kings Place, London 31.12.2010 (CR)

Mozart: Overture – Le Nozze di Figaro

Exsultate, jubilate K165/K158a

Piano Concerto No 21 in C major, K467

Symphony No 39 in E flat, K543

This was the first of two performances of this New Year’s programme, which was also repeated and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 on 1^st January 2011. This early evening all-Mozart concert was an ideal way to begin New Year’s Eve festivities, offering high-quality performances from both the orchestra and the soloists.

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment have an international reputation as leaders in period instrument performance. This was my first experience of hearing them play live, and they exceeded my expectations. The orchestral sound was beautifully balanced, with the transparent string sound providing a wonderfully contrasting timbre to the warmth of the woodwind. The trumpet and horns added a further colour variation, demonstrating an impressive range of sound from gentle warmth to brassy power.

The Marriage of Figaro Overture provided a sparkling opening to the concert, taken at a fast pace and played with an impressive lightness of touch. The lines were beautifully phrased, and the nimble passagework in the violins was executed with delicacy and panache.

Sophie Bevan was an engaging and communicative soprano soloist in Exsultate, jubilate, her expressive voice demonstrating impressive technical control and a beautiful tone. The contrasting moods of the movements came across well, concluding with a spirited and lively ‘Alleluia’.

Of the whole programme, it was the Piano Concerto No 21, the so-called ‘Elvira Madigan’, to which I had been looking forward the most. This was an excellent performance, played with conviction and style. There was an evident chemistry between soloist and conductor, and Kristian Bezuidenhout’s fortepiano playing possessed both charm and sophistication. The fortepiano sound was less dominant than one is used to hearing from a modern piano, especially in the bass, and during the orchestral tuttis the sound was sometimes lost, but the instrument had a wonderfully warm sound, which was a pleasure to hear. The detail that could be heard within the orchestral sound was excellent, with a well-judged balance between sections allowing the middle parts to come through effectively. Bezuidenhout’s cadenzas were similarly well-judged and performed with impressive technical mastery. The second movement was paced a little faster than I am used to hearing, with the overall effect of an uncomplicated, un-indulgent reading. The simplicity and elegance of Mozart’s lines came through well and were allowed ample space to breathe.

The Symphony No 39 in E flat formed the second half of the programme, with a spirited first movement in which we experienced again the orchestra’s well-balanced sound and good contrasts between moods. The second movement featured some particularly enticing bassoon playing, and some wonderfully brassy horn sounds. I found some of the repeated phrases could have had more variety in execution, and there were a few minor intonation issues in the strings, but this was otherwise an enjoyable performance. The third movement was played a little faster than I had expected, and the effect was convincingly light and dance-like. The clarinets were a highlight in this movement with some ebullient duo playing. The final movement was sprightly and well phrased, drawing an excellent performance to a close.

Carla Rees