Classical reviews: Scottish Chamber Orchestra | BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Published on Friday 4 December 2009 22:10

QUEEN'S HALL, EDINBURGH ****

JANACEK'S On an Overgrown Path, two sets of pieces originally intended for harmonium but most commonly performed on the piano, are deeply moving reflections on the composer's memories, particularly those relating to the death of his daughter. David Matthews' arrangement of the first set of ten pieces for orchestra takes great pains to retain the essence of these poignant miniatures as well as to reproduce Janacek's own orchestral soundworld.

His imaginative combinations worked well in The Madonna of Frydek, with its brass chorale and in the final piece, The owl has not flown away, with its eerie evocation of swishing wings. But ultimately these pieces spoke with neither Janacek's nor Matthews' voice, and in creating such vivid colours, something of the black and white starkness of the originals was lost.

In his Symphony in D major K320 Posthorn, Mozart recycled material from some of his other compositions, most notably a lengthier serenade. Conductor Andr de Ridder has a keen sense of dynamic light and shade, expertly shaping the orchestra's phrasing to great effect here. This meticulous attention to detail helped tease out the finer nuances of Schubert's Symphony No 4 in C minor D417, Tragic.

Schubert's title is most likely an ironic reference to the poor first performance than the subject matter, given that the symphony bristles with energy especially in the delightfully off-beat minuet and fast moving finale. This is awash with different ideas all beautifully integrated in this fabulous up-beat performance.

BBC SCOTTISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

****

CITY HALLS, GLASGOW

LIKE Brahms, Dvorak turned collections of his popular piano duet music into exquisite orchestral works. The ten Legends are prime examples, and all of them – in two equal helpings of five – formed part of Thursday's final programme in the BBC SSO's Bohemian Rhapsodies series.

Principal guest conductor Ilan Volkov captured the wonderful sense of abandon that gives these works their flamboyant charm – harmonies that are fresh and dangerous, textures that defy convention, and melodies spiced with Bohemian laissez-faire.

In the grand scheme of things, these multicoloured gems posed as comfort blankets to the racier music of Janacek and Martinu, both of whom have had their place in this series, which has also been focusing on the challenging eccentricities of Martinu's piano concertos. The gargantuan Garrick Ohlsson appeared as soloist in the Fourth Concerto, unfolding its refreshing dissonance with utterly poised assurance.

Of all the concertos, this is perhaps the most consistent, as was this powerhouse performance. It is astonishing to think that Ohlsson, prolific in the United States, was making his first appearance with the SSO since 1972.

Could there have been a more fitting way to end a Bohemian celebration – one that partly celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution – than with Janacek's triumphant Sinfonietta, itself written in the 1920s to celebrate an earlier achievement of Czech independence.

With the additional nine trumpets lining the choir gallery, the impact was gloriously conclusive – ripe fanfares and Slavonic fuelled themes wrapped up in a performance that glistened from start to finish.