Music review: BBC SSO, City Halls, Glasgow


BBC SSO, City Halls, Glasgow ***
Bray’s response to the energy-packed early 20th century statuary of Gaudier-Brzeska, Duchamp-Villon and Boccioni is a score whose musical energy is both explosive and contained within a densely-textured orchestral mass. This performance seemed to limit the former – busy, bubbling undercurrents – though the unplanned repeat offered amends.
Hopkins’ Double Concerto, with soloists Marco Blauuw and Marcus Weiss, was a virtuosic feast, its solo protagonists engaged in fierce musical combat. But it lacks genuine soul, a style more akin to exploratory mid-20th century where system overrides expressive conviction.
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Hide AdHyde’s Symphony – a world premiere – engaged us more characterfully, albeit laced with parodic references to Stravinsky, but driven by a gravitational relevance and personal belief.
Burrell’s seasonal analogy in Resurrection, offering new vistas to the brilliantly played cor anglais, shared that sense of emotional truth.