United Kingdom Numerous: Jiapeng Nie (cello), Tamsin Waley-Cohen (violin), China Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra / Lin Daye (conductor). The Anvil, Basingstoke, 20.3.2024. (MBr)
Tan Dun – Excerpts from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Chausson – Poème
Saint-Saëns – Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
Respighi – Fountains of Rome; Pines of Rome
I’ve to say, Chinese language orchestras don’t journey in any respect modestly after they go on tour. Extravagant is a technique of describing it – outrageous could be one other. If China have been exercising its muscle mass as a rustic pushing for supremacy in cultural comfortable energy, then I believe this live performance went fairly a way as an indication of precisely that. However there was additionally one thing else that was fairly clear about this live performance and that’s the very good high quality of orchestral enjoying this nation is now producing. A lot of this live performance was simply excellent, though maybe in fairly a particular approach.
My expertise of listening to Asian orchestras, largely from Japan, but in addition from South Korea, is that they usually depend on measurement, particularly within the strings, to provide a much bigger sound. However additionally it is a distinct sound – one you don’t usually hear from British orchestras however one a conductor like Wilhelm Furtwängler would have been extraordinarily conversant in. One purpose Japanese violins are sometimes divided antiphonally is as a result of the sound of the cellos and basses are so backside up it’s simply unbalanced to have them caught to 1 aspect of the orchestra. It was maybe a shock that wasn’t the case on this live performance with the China Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra – and though if it could not have been so essential within the works by Tan Dun or Respighi it could have benefitted that of the Chausson.
Nevertheless, acoustic issues. The Anvil in Basingstoke is probably not the most important live performance corridor by any stretch of the creativeness but it surely does have among the finest acoustics of any within the nation. I generally discover sitting within the stalls right here a bit of on the breezy aspect – however that by no means stops orchestras having the warmest of strings tones. You could be sat in an overcoat, however you may hear just about the whole lot happening within the orchestra. My ft have been actually vibrating in the course of the climax of the ‘Pine-Bushes of the Appian Manner’ from Respighi’s Pines of Rome however the readability of the sound from the orchestra was wonderful: you by no means get the previous in London’s live performance halls and also you’re fortunate in the event you get the latter in any respect.
Tan Dun won’t be a modest composer both in terms of a few of his orchestration and the movie rating for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is hardly that. Nevertheless, from it Tan extracted what has turn out to be referred to as the Crouching Tiger Cello Concerto a piece that doesn’t significantly comply with the narrative of the movie, nor even actually match into the usual construction of a cello (or most) concerto fashions. Written in six actions, on this live performance simply three have been performed. These have been maybe chosen to focus on three issues: the lyricism of the 2 devices that we hear within the ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ motion itself (the cello and flute/piccolo), the orchestra’s very good percussion and depth of string tone and its virtuosity within the rhythmic fifth motion, ‘To the South’ which just about attracts on Stravinsky for a few of its inspiration.
I’m, it ought to be stated, a sucker for nice percussion enjoying in symphonic (or movie rating) works – and right here Tan writes it on an epic scale. This could by no means be a completely aural expertise in my opinion – it’s as a lot a theatrical one, the influence of it not less than half visible if you wish to get contained in the music. The purpose about rhythm is you really want to really feel it and Tan factors you to it by way of each conceivable sense. With 5 percussionists enjoying with militaristic precision (even the peak of the sticks was necessary right here) the enjoying was matched by a weighty depth within the strings.
I suppose my solely quibble with this efficiency – and it’s a very small one – was that the very good cellist, Jiapeng Nie, regardless of some amplification (meant by Tan) was generally overwhelmed by the orchestra. This was much less an issue when enjoying with the flautist (Qiao Zhang), and even at triple pianissimo, however extra of a difficulty in a brief thrumming part when the cello appeared largely obscured by the orchestra behind him. However, this was a refreshing and imaginative opening work and the enjoying had been very good.
Additionally considerably totally different was the dearth of a traditional concerto to finish the primary half of the live performance. There are fairly a couple of nice works for violin and orchestra we don’t usually hear, even much less when paired collectively, so it was refreshing to listen to two fairly totally different ones side-by-side – Ernest Chausson’s Poème pour violine et Orchestre and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso.
If the Saint-Saëns is nearer in its Iberian character to Sarasate, then the Chausson is significantly extra haunting in character, maybe partially deferential to its partial Ivan Turgenev inspiration. And if the previous is so clearly extra virtuoso in its writing, the latter is a extra inward-looking work with a hovering lyricism and depth that makes it unusually troublesome to deliver right into a concentrated kind by way of its nearly twenty-minute span.
I’ve generally been uncertain whether or not all violinists can efficiently deliver off each of those works with equal ease and pairing them collectively can usually expose this to even larger scrutiny. Tamsin Waley-Cohen was presumably extra comfy within the Chausson – though I had questioned whether or not her fairly heavy respiration in the course of the opening bars of the work would show to be one thing of a distraction (they’d not). An innate issue with this work is that its lengthy single arc usually results in a fractured efficiency due to the tempo adjustments however Waley-Cohen was fairly profitable at avoiding this. She additionally weaved a fairly stunning tone, albeit one which was not on the big aspect. In a barely greater corridor, and with a chillier acoustic, this may, I believe, have been a efficiency that bumped into some issues. There was no scarcity of voltage within the Saint-Saëns, nor precision, however I may need wished for barely extra ‘Iberian’ character. I actually wanted extra of this from the orchestra who have been relatively heavy-footed.
Ottorino Respighi’s Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome stuffed the second half of the programme. I had questioned if these would work in The Anvil – and particularly with this orchestra – however how flawed I proved to be. The performances have been completely thrilling, and beautifully performed – certainly significantly extra so than the final time I heard them (not less than on the joy scale) with the Philharmonia and Esa-Pekka Salonen within the Royal Competition Corridor.
Maybe the shocking component right here was the liberty that the conductor Lin Daye gave to his orchestra, although the precision of the enjoying was so sharp it nearly felt over-prepared. I believe that might, in reality, obscure some completely magnificent brass enjoying, for instance. One might with some justification argue that trumpets and trombones had a sure regimented order to them; however that might additionally disregard their vivid, but shatteringly clear tone that by no means as soon as felt lower than completely nailed. Whereas as soon as we might have gotten a barely extra barren view of the Fountains of Rome from a Chinese language orchestra, right here it did sound extra pastoral, with a panorama that was as misty because it was recent. If horns did roar like lions they did so with a golden blaze, when as soon as it was so frequent for horns from Asian orchestras to sound like they have been in a bar brawl.
The Pines of Rome was even higher, at turns mysterious and solemn, wealthy within the catacomb, however so distinctive within the separation of the theme of kids enjoying and troopers on the march. How thrilling, too, to listen to such a superbly finished nightingale to hyperlink the shut of ‘The Pine-Bushes of Janiculum’ to the ‘The Pine-Bushes of the Appian Manner’. Tempi hadn’t been noticeably fast for the a lot of this poem, however Lin Daye discovered a faster tempo for the consular military to interrupt down the Appian Manner in the direction of the Capitol with unstoppable vitality. With offstage trumpets (accurately finished) and a masterly beating of drums and uniformity of drama and rhythm from the orchestra the impact was each chilling and spectacular.
It’s not usually that I am going to a live performance and revel in it relatively extra for the sense of spectacle and pure enjoyment than I do from the viewpoint as a author. Typically from the latter perspective music can generally really feel a bit of distant. It’s maybe a bit of shocking {that a} Chinese language orchestra ought to have supplied this expertise when so many different nice orchestras I’ve heard have didn’t ignite it.
This was great stuff, and completely price a visit exterior town by which I so usually overview live shows.
Marc Bridle
Featured Picture: the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra
Your article helped me a lot, is there any more related content? Thanks!