Classical review: RSNO: Järvi conducts Sibelius First Symphony, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

IT was a turbulent and sometimes dark Sibelius First Symphony that veteran Estonian-born conductor Neeme Järvi brought to the Usher Hall.

It was a gripping performance from the RSNO’s conductor laureate, and he pulled off a neat trick in indulging the piece’s late-Romantic ardour (Tchaikovsky was a big influence on the young Finn), while retaining a clear-headed sense of its organic growth.

Järvi is a joy to watch – he summoned surging crescendos with just a flick of his wrist or a shuddering of his sizeable frame. Yet he ensured that Sibelius’s sometimes ear-bending textures were always transparent and full of detail. The RSNO wind and brass in particular played magnificently – principal clarinet John Cushing’s opening solo was a study in tonal control. And timpanist Martin Gibson clearly enjoyed his moments in the limelight in the third-movement Scherzo.

Before the interval, though, there seemed a bit of a mismatch between soloist and orchestra in Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto. British pianist Christian Blackshaw gave a crisp, unshowy reading, full of aristocratic elegance, but it was rather at odds with the richness and warmth that Järvi brought to the orchestra. But they came together for a lively final Rondo that was full of mischief yet never lost its composure.

The opener, the soft-edged Where the Wild Thyme Blows by Scottish composer John Blackwood McEwen, seemed a little too derivative of Debussy to be distinctive. But Järvi’s vivid performance made the most of what the piece had to offer.

Rating: ****