Suk/Rachmaninov/Dukas/Janacek: Halle, Elder, Giltberg – Bridgewater Hall

Suk – Fantastic Scherzo; Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No.4; Dukas -The Sorcerer’s Apprentice; Janácek – Sinfonietta: Halle Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder, conductor and Boris Giltburg,  piano

This was a really excellent concert. This was, from my perspective, because:

• The programming was clever – two works from the mid-1920’s, two ‘late’ works (Rachmaninov and Janacek), two stand-along scherzo-like works; two works in G (Suk and Rachmaninov)
• I knew really well the Sinfonietta and the Dukas (or thought I did) and the Suk and the Rachmaninov were pretty well unknown to me
• The works chosen brought out the best in those performing

The hall was very full, as it should have been for such a great concert

The scherzo by Suk had a lovely tune at the heart of it, and was very approachable, but I thought it went on too long – there was a lot of repetition, really, and I lost focus occasionally. But it was beautifully played by the Halle, particularly by the woodwind.  

The Rachmaninov was a riveting performance – I really need to get to know this work better. It dates from the earlier part of Rachmaninov’s exile and you can hear occasional Gershwin-y phrases and harmonies, and motor rhythms that might come from his US experiences and travel. It begins with a broad sweeping sound that seems like the ending of some of Rachmaninov’s previous pre-1917 works, and becomes steadily darker and more complex, more angular and biting, more severe, and concentrated.  Giltburg’s performance seemed extraordinarily good – sensitive, flexible, spectacular where needed. As an encore, Giltburg played Rachmaninov’s Etude-Tableaux Op.39 No.2 in A Minor, which, though pre-Revolutionary, was equally questing and strange (indeed until the BBC the next day put the title on its website I thought he might have been playing Scriabin) and in fact both Rachmaninov works are heavily chromatic in the way Scriabin is

The Dukas I am afraid is too associated, for me, with Mickey Mouse to make much of an impact….The Janacek Sinfonietta though was extraordinary. I thought I knew this piece well, but realised (after Sir Mark’s pre-concert talk) that I had quite missed what this work was meant to be about…a celebration of Czech nationalism, and in particular the end of German domination which was particularly unfortunate in Brno during the First World War, with accusations of torture. It has a universal appeal through its contrasts of light and darkness, I guess, and what was special about this performance was the bite and clarity of the performance. The 13 extra brass players needed (in addition to the 12-13 in the orchestra proper) were placed in the Choir seats, so their music projected magnificently into the hall. But also I think Sir Mark took some of the music more slowly than other performances I’ve heard and this allowed a greater clarity and bite to the overall sound, and also a much greater dynamic range . The Halle woodwind and brass were magnificent. Undoubtedly the best performance I have heard live of this marvellous piece.