Classical review: Scottish Chamber Orchestra

Published on Sunday 1 November 2009 21:13

CITY HALLS, GLASGOW *****

THE focus of Friday's concert by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra may have been on Peter Maxwell Davies' Symphony No 4, but that was just one riveting component in a brilliantly-conceived programme.

There were obvious shared qualities between Oliver Knussen's Music for a Puppet Court, Mahler's Ruckert Lieder and Max's 1989 symphony, not least the hypersensitive orchestrations that allowed each to state its case clearly.

Knussen conducted Friday's programme with typical no-nonsense directness. Music for a Puppet Court – which juxtaposes his realisation of two Renaissance puzzle canons with glittering variations of his own for double chamber orchestra – formed a lustrous opener which the SCO were alert and up for.

Mezzo soprano Helena Rasker brought a brooding, velvety dimension to Mahler's songs, capturing the growing intensity of Um Mitternacht with mind-blowing mastery. Again, Knussen elicited superlative playing from the orchestra, fulfilling its primary function as subliminal illuminators of the text with unrelenting precision.

Max's fourth symphony proved just as illuminating. Knussen held a firm grip, feeding its successive peaks and troughs with conviction. It is a misleading work, written quite deliberately for intimate chamber orchestra resources, yet packs a real punch.

The final bars brought a sense of exhaustion, quiet elation and acceptance, offering yet another illustration of how the Max at 75 celebrations in Glasgow are by no means a superficial birthday bash. They are an invaluable opportunity for us to reassess musical landmarks in the life of a genuinely unique and interesting composer.