Dutilleux: Correspondances; Ravel: L'Enfant et les Sortilèges (Philharmonia / Salonen)

12th February, 2015
Royal Festival Hall, London, United Kingdom

DUTILLEUX Correspondances
RAVEL Piano Concerto
RAVEL L'Enfant et les Sortilèges

Barbara Hannigan (soprano / La Princesse)
Mitsuko Uchida (piano)
Chloé Briot (soprano: L'Enfant)
Elodie Méchain (alto: La Mère/ La Tasse chinoise / La Libellule)
Andrea Hill (mezzo soprano: La Bergère /Un Pâtre / l'Ecureuil / La Chatte)
Omo Bello (soprano: La Pastourelle / La Chauve-Souris / La Chouette)
Sabine Devieilhe (soprano: Le Feu / Le Rossignol)
Jean-Sébastien Bou (baritone: L'Horloge / Le Chat)
François Piolino (tenor: La Théière / Le Petit Vieillard (aka l'Arithmétique) / La Rainette)
Nicolas Courjal (bass: Le Fauteuil / L'Arbre)
Philharmonia Voices (Shepherds, Shepherdesses, Frogs, Animals, Trees, Settle (Le Blanc), Sofa (Le Canapé), Ottoman (Le Pouf), Wicker chair, Numbers (Les Chiffres))
Irina Brown (director)

Philharmonia Orchestra
Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor)



Massive sonic feast: Barbara Hannigan singing Dutilleux's "Correspondances", Mitsuko Uchida playing Ravel's "Piano Concerto" and Esa-Pekka Salonen conducted a semi-staged performance of Ravel's "L'Enfant et les Sortilèges". Dutilleux's music is always sumptuous but always too short - by the time we got into the mood of the music it was all over. I have never heard the Ravel G major this muscular, and it was surprising that it came from Dame Mitsuko. The clarinet messed up regally (missed a high note in the most embarrassing and glaring manner) and shook the first movement up a bit, but the team picked up nicely again. The Ravel one-act opera was uneventful to start with, but turned lush as it went along. The final chorale was a nice discovery and made me wonder if Ravel would be a great choral composer if he had tried. Also, Simon Rattle was right this morning - London needs a new concert hall. The sounds at the RFH balcony was way too thin. It was an enjoyable concert though, worth running up six flights of stairs to get there on time.



This entry was originally published in my private Instagram account.