An evening of beautiful music and beautiful atmosphere
This is perhaps a philistinic viewpoint, but to my mind one of the best parts about a night at the orchestra is the tuning up: it should sound unpleasantly cacophonous, but somehow never does. The audience at the Liverpool Philharmonic settled into this soundscape as we took our seats for Brahms’ Double Concerto on November 23rd,, at which the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Domingo Hindoyan and was accompanied by cellist Victor Julien-Laferrière, along with violinist and Artist in Residence Simone Lamsma.
Hindoyan arrived onstage to great acclaim and warmth from the orchestra and audience alike. He is very much a full-body conductor, and throughout the evening there was the sense that we were listening to a full-blown conversation between the musicians and conductor, if through instruments and hands in lieu of words. The energy of the orchestra was palpable – the wind instruments in particular looked often to be almost taking flight – and yet meticulously controlled. Hindoyan was clearly in tune with the musicians from his first moment onstage, who in turn were in tune with one another. This sense of innate connection was reflected in the call and response technique which could frequently be heard in the evening’s four pieces.
The programme opened with Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants, followed by the performance’s namesake, Brahms’ Double Concerto. After the interval, following Debussy’s Ibéria,Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol brought the evening to a close.
Hindoyan conducted the Bizet sans-baton, which gave the impression of his really getting his hands into the piece. It made for a robust opening, beginning with a pizzicato and almost military energy, followed by a segue into smooth and flowing waves of music waxing and waning in volume. Jeux d’enfants was an excellent selection in terms of showcasing the orchestra’s prowess, not least the string sections’ nearly supernatural ability to play in perfect and distinct unison.
Brahms’ Double Concerto felt intimate, with a slightly smaller ensemble and a change to warmer lighting. Simone Lamsma and Victor Julien-Laferrière joined the orchestra onstage for this, with Lamsma’s sparkling pink dress eye-catching amongst the otherwise all-black onstage uniform. The concerto kept its initial focus on Julien-Laferrière’s cello, followed by its collaborations with Lamsma, which weaved between duet and call and response so seamlessly it was hard to pinpoint where ended and the other began. Lamsma and Julien-Laferrière’s talent was evident: their every bow and pluck were crisp, deliberate, and precise, with Lamsma’s violin sounding at once sweet and vicious. Around midway through the concerto took on a dreamier tone, with a marked change from the original definition of notes to a more glissando effect, especially notable in Lamsma’s playing. The concerto came to a close with a sense of forward motion, well-bolstered by brass and percussion. Lamsma and Julien-Laferrière’s pre-interval encore showcased their masterful control over their respective instruments, especially with regard to volume and dexterity.
Post-interval, the performance felt more relaxed, and somewhat ‘looser’. The Debussy and Rimsky-Korsakov sections utilised a full orchestra, including a celesta, orchestral bells, and (to my ear) castanets to create an immersive sense of word painting. Debussy’s Iberia spent a long time tantalisingly edging ever-nearer to its zenith, and when it eventually did arrive, it did so with its harps in full force: largely restrained at all other points, they were made all the more impactful in driving the composition towards a strong and vivacious close.
The Rimsky-Korsakov was resoundingly triumphant, with a full orchestral voice in evidence from its beginning. The suite’s sound was warm and full, its strings by turns soaring and merrily bouncy, serving to amplify the joy and connection felt throughout the evening between the musicians, conductor and audience. It provided an exceedingly cheery end to an evening of beautiful music and beautiful atmosphere.