The RNSO conducted by guest conductor John Wilson and with guest soloist on piano, Sir Stephen Hough – a concert not to miss (and with the bonus of a pre-concert talk by the conductor and one of the second violins, Sophie Lang).
The evening started with the jam-packed pre-concert talk, which was light-hearted yet serious, which I suspect is the vibe that John Wilson brings. Between Sophie and himself, they set the scene for the audience to understand something of the vagaries of the life of a travelling orchestra and then got into the serious business of exactly what it is that Wilson expects of Scotland’s premier orchestra.
He wants them to do things differently: he wants them to play as if they are all soloists, which is not what is expected of musicians when they leave the conservatoire and join the real world of the orchestra, where the newbie should not try to outshine their elders and ‘betters’.
Wilson doesn’t want this. No, not at all. He wants all his musicians to be the best they can be, thereby elevating the whole orchestra. Between them, Lang and Wilson demonstrated the difference between what a musician thinks is expected of them and what Wilson expects – it’s quite different. And makes complete sense.
Between Sophie and himself, they set the scene for the audience to understand something of the vagaries of the life of a travelling orchestra and then got into the serious business of exactly what it is that Wilson expects of Scotland’s premier orchestra.
Why have an orchestra of brilliant musicians and expect most of them to play less well than they are capable of? Wilson, a thoroughly down-to-earth comprehensive school lad from the North East of England – I wonder how the Gateshead-born conductor enjoys being described as being from Newcastle, which is heresy locally – really seems to have a point. Be the best you can be, and, in turn, that will promote the same in your colleagues.
The concert itself began with Ravel’s ‘La Valse’, which I think Sophie Lang described as being a bit ‘mad’ and Ravel himself described as an exploration of ‘vertigo and the voluptuousness of the dance to the point of paroxysm’. It’s a work in only one movement, beginning like a diaphanous, gorgeous waltz but very soon turning into something much darker, almost sinister. Ravel turned his original piece – meant as a tribute to Johann Strauss – into a ballet score for Diaghilev, and fans of modern ballets will detect the disruption that often occurs in happy scenes in ballets when a dark force is introduced. Diaghilev refused to stage it. Perhaps it’s waiting for the likes of Matthew Bourne.
So we find ourselves ‘dancing on the edge of a volcano’ (a quotation used by Ravel) and wondering how long we or the Vienna (‘Wien’) after which the composer first called his work might survive. An apt piece for seemingly apocalyptic times.
Sir Stephen Hough Delivers a Mesmerising Rachmaninov
To our rescue, morale-wise, came Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto Number 1, with Stephen Hough at the piano. I was fortunate enough to have a fantastic view – front row of the Grand Circle – close enough to be able to see his fingers on the piano keys. Absolutely mesmerising. Hough’s playing is often described as genius, and it’s not surprising. He’s relatively low-key – no pun intended – dressed in his favoured grey mandarin collared jacket and is not a particularly showy pianist. He does, however, appear transfixed by what he is playing.
I was fortunate enough to have a fantastic view – front row of the Grand Circle – close enough to be able to see his fingers on the piano keys. Absolutely mesmerising. Hough’s playing is often described as genius, and it’s not surprising.
I’ve seen him play in a half-empty auditorium and wondered what kept him going. Perhaps nights like this, where the Usher Hall was packed and the applause rapturous. Perhaps it’s just the love of playing. This man is described as a polymath, so he has plenty of strings to his bow. He’s a writer, a composer, a painter – a real Renaissance man – but music is in his soul, which is perhaps why he plays on, whether to full concert halls or not. I’m grateful for that.
Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No. 2 Closes a Brilliant Night
The second half’s repertoire was Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No 2 in G Major – ‘A London Symphony’. At the pre-concert talk, we were advised to listen out for the musical nods – including the Westminster chimes – to the City. In a lot of ways, this is a fun piece – it’s big and bouncy and stirring – but it also encompasses the reality and sadness of every city, every citizen and every day
The listener can imagine a day in the life of the City – quietly awakening through the notorious fog and gradually being filled with all the sights and sounds of the day, with passages of light and shade, noise and tranquillity.
This piece rarely sits still for long. Conducted by John Wilson, with his love of Broadway and Big Band sounds, all of the razzamatazz might have been expected, but oh, how that allowed the lyrical beauty of interposing passages to really have their moments too. Beautiful, noisy, surprising and brilliant.
Suffice it to say, there was magic in the Usher Hall as well as genius.
Featured Image: Stephen Hough plays Rachmaninov – RSNO
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