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Review by Alan G Nairn
For me, what this series brought
out in the contrast of Mozart with Britten (22nd January) and
Stravinsky (9th April) was their presentation and style rather
than content. There was the theatricality of Stravinsky’s
Pulcinella and even Britten’s Serenade had the drama of
the offstage horn in the Epilogue.
Radovan Vlatkovic’s horn drew out a wonderful tone with
deep sonority in both his pieces. I wonder if the projection of
the instrument into the back of the stage and the acoustic of
the Music Hall in Aberdeen combined to produce a sound that seemed
to envelope me from all sides. The epilogue in the Britten Serenade
was deeply moving and atmospheric as a result and a great end
to one of my favourite pieces, despite some unusual tempi in the
Pastoral (very slow) and the Sonnet (rather fast).
In the Stravinsky concert, the conductor Sylvain Cambreling vigorously
forced slow tempi and strong rhythm (our tympanist was on her
mettle!) that gave the music a heady punch, especially the Mozart
symphony. Listening to Pulcinella, I thought that it must be only
a short step from here to the Operas of Lully – music, voices
and dance. For when we say ‘neo-classical’ don’t
we often mean ‘neo-baroque’? Britten often referred
back to Purcell, himself, in his music.
Still, an interesting and creative series and can we hear more
‘chamber’, chamber music up here in Aberdeen like
the Stravinsky miniatures. I cherish my SCO CD of Stravinsky’s
Soldier’s Tale – I would love to hear it live in the
concert hall.
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