Edinburgh International Festival review: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Published on Tuesday 31 August 2010 19:27

ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA **** USHER HALL, EDINBURGH

Under the baton of conductor Mariss Jansons, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra at full tilt makes a sensational sound, as was evident in the second half of Monday night's concert, featuring the entire orchestra. In Stravinsky's sumptuously scored Firebird Suite, the orchestra dazzled with its ravishing strings and scorching brass while Jansons' attention to the smallest detail paid handsome dividends, especially in the quieter moments such as the tender lullaby, a moment of calm before the blazing finale.

The Firebird was preceded by the equally compelling dance-like rhythms of Berio's Four Dedicaces, a revelation from a composer who specialised in miniatures. Arranged into a concert sequence after Berio's death by his assistant Paul Roberts, these four short works were full of exuberance, the orchestra producing gorgeous kaleidoscopic colours and tonal textures.

Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta provided an ideal vehicle for the Concertgebouw's precise and lustrous string section, which propelled the music forward while glittering passages from the piano harp and celesta were sprinkled on top. This was a nicely controlled performance although more could have been made of Bartok's swerving dynamics. The brass and woodwind's moment in the spotlight wasn't quite as successful but Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments is a difficult piece. Although the performance was exceptional, the dry acoustics of the hall meant the music lacked the mystery at the heart of these beautiful chant-like episodes.