The London Symphony Orchestra was both a sight and sound to behold. The delicate blend of a modern composition and a century old classic will take you on an evening of emotional journeys from love and embrace through to drama and tension, before bringing you back down to stillness and sometimes true mystery. This entire evening was something genuinely magical.
Thursday 11th April was a magical night at the Barbican, presenting the UK premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Trumpet Concerto. This was my very first time seeing the London Symphony Orchestra live and I was truly blown away. The moment we walked into the auditorium, the musicians were simply a vision to behold. As we sat down, the orchestra began to tune their instruments and I immediately felt uplifted and indescribably moved by the gentle wave of noise from an exquisite array of musical craftsmanship.
The trumpet concerto was led by the masterful Alison Balsom, who truly captivated the audience as she entered the stage. The composer, Wynton Marsalis, has a background in classical music and jazz, but his love of the trumpet clearly extends beyond these narrow fields as he takes many influences into this 6 movement masterpiece. The disparate nature of the piece stretches far and wide with the opening note conjuring images of an elephant more closely than images of classical music, before the audience is treated with bright fanfares, romance akin to that of Louis Armstrong, Blues riffs and even elements of a Waltz.
The London Symphony Orchestra will feel completely validated in their trust of Alison Balsom as she truly appeared to make her trumpet talk. I never realised how equally gentle and powerful the trumpet could be. The story telling and dynamics were stunning, drawing us all into the music and allowing us to be moved, through our minds eye, to another world entirely. I distinctly remember a moment of the evening where I felt transported to old school Hollywood movies. I could picture, as if I was in the room myself, Fred Astair and Ginger Rodgers dancing across the floor in the 1936 hit, Swing Time.
After the interval we were then treated to a rendition of Ravel’s Daphne and Chloé written in 1909. Perhaps best known in this country for his composition the Boléro. Ravel’s music is self described as a choreographic symphony and this piece is no different as a complete ballet that tells a love story set in Ancient Greece. Throughout this second piece of music it became apparent that the energy from the conductor Sir Antonio Pappano was unmatched. What a masterful performance he gave. He had the entire room in the palm of his hands, especially the orchestra, thankfully. The transitions were smooth and tight throughout. The piece was both powerful and effortless at the same time. It felt as though not one mistake was made. The choir, who joined the orchestra for Ravel’s Ballet brought a completely different dimension to the show. The music took us all on an evening of emotional journeys from love and embrace through to drama and tension, before bringing you back down to stillness and sometimes true mystery.
The only one negative I have would be the lack of diversity both on and off stage. An increase in representation of all communities within this realm of music would provide more positive role models for future generations to follow, undoubtedly bringing benefits to the London Symphony Orchestra.
For me, this entire evening was something genuinely magical. I believe this style of classical music will either move you in a truly unique way and become part of your soul, or if not you will still admire these incredibly talented musicians and all they have to offer. It might of been my first time attending a performance from the London Symphony Orchestra, but it won’t be my last.