Review: Sinfonia of London – Usher Hall, Edinburgh

The Sinfonia of London is a marvellous orchestra, directed by John Wilson and comprising some, if not all, of the best musicians in the land. Add to that a programme containing both Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op 18 and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Op 35, in the splendour of Edinburgh’s Usher Hall and you know you’re in for a treat. The good folk of Edinburgh – and I’m sure much further afield – certainly understood this and it was not surprisingly a sell-out concert.

The programme began with a perhaps lesser-known piece – Gražyna Bacewicz’s Concerto for String Orchestra. It’s a relatively short piece – only about fifteen minutes long – but a great choice to start this programme, with its Baroque influences and romantic theme. It also introduced us to Sinfonia of London Leader and principal violin Charlie Lovell-Jones. A bit of a child prodigy, Lovell-Jones has now matured, at 27, into one of the world’s most renowned violinists. Equally renowned Sinfonia of London principal cellist Jonathan Aasgaard and Lovell-Jones had plenty of opportunity to show off their virtuosity in this piece, which allows the soloists lots of beautifully romantic, slower movements, amongst the vivacity of the rest of the Concerto.

I admit to not having heard this piece before and I was totally swept away by it. A great deal of praise, as ever, should be heaped on John Wilson’s conducting. He treats each musician, no matter which orchestra he is conducting, as a soloist and, of course, each of the Sinfonia of London musicians IS a soloist in his or her own right. This certainly appears to get not just the most out of each musician and each piece they play, but adds a precision – something Wilson insists on – which translates into the unique sound this orchestra makes.

… although Wilson believes in only playing ‘what is on the page’, he is no slave.

Moving quickly on, the alleged ‘star of the show’ – the Rachmaninov – came hot on the heels of the Polish piece. Rachmaninov himself perhaps set the standard, with a couple of recordings of this Concerto. That said, there are so many interpretations of it that it can be hotly debated which, if any, is the definitive recording. Maybe we have to wait for Wilson’s Sinfonia of London to record it to see if that becomes the modern definitive version. Another of the challenges with this piece is that it’s just so well known, even being used in that most romantic of films ‘Brief Encounter’. But believe me, although Wilson believes in only playing ‘what is on the page’, he is no slave. His interpretation, brought out with full force by his wonderful musicians, was magical and with Benjamin Grosvenor on piano, I could have listened all night. Another relative youngster at 34, Grosvenor is first rate and I couldn’t fault him. I love Lang Lang’s version of this piece, but Grosvenor has turned my head now. I am so lucky to have heard both in person. The music itself is rhapsodic, sweeping and beautiful and Grosvenor’s playing is lyrically deep, delicious, impassioned and technically perfect. I loved the somewhat slower pace than Lang Lang’s interpretation too. It deserves to be savoured and I lapped up every moment.