Music review: BBC SSO & Thomas Dausgaard, City Halls, Glasgow
Music review: BBC SSO & Thomas Dausgaard, City Halls, Glasgow ****
There was visceral hot-bloodedness in the largely unison singing of the lusty male voice choir, and two soloists whose character portrayals – the German baritone as Kullervo, the Finnish soprano as his sister – were a magnetic presence. Juntunen especially, singing off score and in thrilling voice, addressed her role with riveting theatrical conviction.
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Hide AdDausgaard exuded visible enthusiasm, driving his forces forward with incessant energy, at their best in those raw, bracing outbursts that viciously punctuate the score. Brass and wind tuning posed the occasional problem but the burnished spirit shone through.
In the more thoughtful passages, we missed the defined intensity of Sibelian texture and colour, which SSO audiences will recall from this orchestra’s electrifying Osmo Vänskä days. There was an awakening, though, in the stirringly sung Finlandia encore, a mindful consummation of an intriguing evening.