G. Williams Concert Overture; Sir Karl Jenkins Stravaganza (BBC commission); Farrenc Overture No. 1; Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major. Jess Gillam soprano saxophone, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Nil Venditti conductor
This is a concert I went to because I had to be in London in the evening in order to be ready for the early Eurostar train to Brussels and onward to Bayreuth, and I thought it would be a good way of entertaining myself. It wasn’t a concert I was articularly interested in, and I thought it would suffer by comparison with the magnificent Barenboim EWDO performance of Schubert 9 I heard from the Proms via BBC Sounds the previous evening – which was magisterial, wonderfully structured, Klemperer-like in its inevitability, and possibly the finest performance I have ever heard of that work.
The reality of this concert though confirms the excitement of live music and the special atmosphere of the Proms. I was standing in the Arena for this, leaning on a bar at its edge and confirming to myself again that the Arena offers the best sound in the RAH, full, balanced and sharp. It was a highly enjoyable event and despite its being the hottest day of the year in London, not too steamy in the RAH. I cooled myself in the Arena bar in the interval…. And the Hall was packed, which always helps in terms of atmosphere, if not always in terms of steaminess……………
Part of the pleasure was seeing the young Italian/Turkish Conductor Nil Vendetti. She has a very clear expressive way of using stick, arms and body to give the indications to the orchestra and the audience of what she wants- particularly when, in the Beethoven, she conducted without a score. She is also- without doing it to excess – a very physical conductor who crouched down and leaped up as the music demanded. And she got results- the BBCNOW played exceptionally well for her. Though I have never heard of her, she is clearly getting good gigs with good orchestras and her career is advancing quickly, with a well known agent in tow.
The concert did get off to a rather lukewarm start with the Grace Williams overture, which was fun enough in a sub-Waltonian way but really not very memorable. The Karl Jenkins piece was a very different affair – jazzy, very enjoyable, lyrical as well as punchy, and in 3 or maybe 4 varied movements. The BBCs relentless promotion of Jess Gillam as presenter and personality has always set my teeth on edge a bit – Northern, not posh and therefore, it feels sometimes, fulfilling a diversity quota – but she is a fantastic and gifted musician whose soprano sax made extraordinary sounds through her skills. I was in awe of what she was achieving by the end and how she effortlessly provides an engaging stage presence to complement her playing, swinging to the beat. This was great music-making….
The Farrenc Overture after the interval I think I’ve heard before played by the Halle (?). I thought better of it this time round – a clear structure and themes no less distinguished than say Schumann might offer. The Beethoven 7 was the polar opposite of the Barenboim performance the day before – fast, energetic verging on frenetic, exciting. ‘Rollocking’ someone near me said to a neighbour. It was not a great performance – the slow movement was simply too fast, so that many of the underlying harmonies were lost, and the outer movements moved at speeds that didn’t allow the climatic moments towards their end to make their maximum impact. But it was a young person’s reading, revelling in the propulsive rhythms, and I found it very gripping and was very happy to hear it live.
A good evening! Now – on to the hallowed portals of Bayreuth…….
John's musical journey 