23rd August 2022
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom
WEBERN Passacaglia
WEBERN Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6 (revised version, 1928)
DEBUSSY (arr. Brett Dean) Ariettes oubliées
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2
Siobhan Stagg (soprano)
Australian World Orchestra
Zubin Mehta (conductor)
Zubin Mehta is now 86, how did that happen!? I don't know why, but he has never been my go-to conductor, yet if you look at his back catalogue (e.g. accompanying Horowitz in Rach 3 or backing the Three Tenors), he is an absolute legend. It's also rather rare to see him in the UK. So he is here tonight, conducting the Australian World Orchestra, a curious ensemble where they bring together Australian expats from the world's leading orchestras to play as a national entity. The programme started with a fiery Webern "Passacaglia" that actually swung hard. Big gestures, sumptuous sound, it's a wonder why this ultra-Romantic work is not played more often. It was the most exhilarating rendition I have heard with notable rhythmic agility. It was followed by the atonal (but not yet serial) Webern in the form of "Six Pieces, Op. 6", where big expressions are condensed into microscopic cells of incredible tension that constantly verges on exploding. It's quite remarkable to experience live, especially the earth-shattering percussion-brass dialogue. Curiously, it was followed by Brett Dean's orchestral arrangements of Debussy's "Ariettes oubliées". It is blatantly asking for comparison with the master orchestrator that is Debussy himself, and I found the arrangements quite thin, with one of them sounding like a inferior version of "Printemps". Fabulous singing by Siobhan Stagg though. Sunny, life-(re)affirming Brahms 2 in the second half was solid. It was one of those excellent performances where I can't identify anything that stood out (not necessarily a bad thing per se) and I just don't have anything intellectual to say. It was nicely put together with great solos, excellent flow and the overall sound was so naturally pleasant like clean water and air that you just take for granted without realising how difficult it is to strike the perfect balance for a work like this. I was just simply happy to be there from beginning to end. Mehta has to walk slowly with a walking stick and conduct from a stool now. I hope he stays healthy for many more years to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment