Liverpool Philharmonic’s latest love letter to strings
Opening the New Year with a robust collection of concerts featuring a diverse mix of composers, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are currently putting their strings front and centre with performances of Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 1 (Op. 13), preceded by renditions of Scherzo Fantastique by Josef Suk and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor (Op. 7).
One thing to note is the cleverness with which the pieces have been arranged – opening with Scherzo Fantastique, the audience is immediately captured by a sudden swell from the string section. Later there will be appropriate lulls: Sibelius winds down for the interval, for example, but afterwards the titular piece brings back energy to round out the evening. Often overlooked, the ability of an orchestra and their artistic director to shape the flow of the several pieces of disparate composition is something many people will never notice if it is done well, but will be readily apparent if it isn’t.
The immediate burst of sound from the arrayed strings is quickly tempered as we enter a period of back and forth – some softer strings cutting into heavy brass crescendos. Immediately apparent is the sheer accuracy of this orchestra: there are no late starts, no-one rushes or drags, everyone on the stage is doing precisely what they need to at all times. Conductor Domingo Hindoyan has obviously integrated well into the orchestra in his three years in the post and this is apparent in his command of the material and his on-stage relationship with the orchestra.
As Scherzo Fantastique closes with a full, bombastic ensemble it must be said that these are not “thin” pieces of music. There is not a complete brass section present, but the brass that is there is loud, and can sometimes drown out some of the more mellifluous runs by the strings and wind. This is a shame, as in pieces with such excellent interplay between heavier and lighter motifs it means some of the softer and, to my mind more interesting, sections of the concert can be lost under trumpets and Cor Anglais.
For Sibelius’ Violin Concerto we were lucky enough to have the Philharmonic’s Artist in Residence, Simone Lamsma, playing lead violin. Simply put, this piece was stunning. Immediately Simone’s mastery of the instrument is apparent as we launch into a haunting, meandering violin line that will be picked up by cellos before long, really driving home the emphasis on their string section. She remains audible and in control of the sound throughout the growing swell of cello accompaniment, performing flawlessly and continuously and expertly providing sombre, ethereal violin lines that ride atop the orchestra.
After this piece we get a charming violin encore from Lamsma (with accompaniment by 1st and 2nd violin and 1st cello) before the interval, after which begins the titular piece – Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 1.
That distinctive, insistent opening of the first movement – Grave – Allegro non troppo – dispels any qualms about returning to a performance now lacking that stunning lead violin and grabs attention, opening up the audience for forty-five minutes or so of exciting arabesque swells and motifs by the incredibly synergistic string section. This synergy extends to other sections as we move into the second movement – Allegro animata, with a series of crescendos featuring all sections in an amazing display of coordination. If anything this movement only serves as yet another testament to the skill of this conductor and these musicians.
The energy lulls briefly in the third movement – Larghetto – for the purposes of highlighting a beautiful refrain on clarinet and flute, giving the wind section centre-stage for a little while. Periods of rise and fall, with tension maintained by strings and brass together, give way to a complex violin air – this movement very much highlighting the intricacy of Rachmaninov’s composition. The finale of Larghetto may be a little lacklustre compared to some of the more powerful closes on other movements but this is more than made up for by the heady, almost overture-esque nature of Allegro con fuoco – the fourth movement, which expertly ties together all of those energetic and strident motifs and creates a complex and nuanced tapestry of sound.
A phenomenal performance, with so few flaws as to barely detract from any single aspect: every musician performed excellently – with an obvious stand-out performance by Simone Lamsma – and found themselves very much able to show off not only their own talents, but the full extent of the talent of these composers. An excellent concert by The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.