A masterfully curated musical journey from beginning to end, bringing a refreshingly modern voice to the classical genre
With the nights drawing in and the temperature dropping, there’s no better excuse to cosy up with a loved one and bask in something unabashedly romantic – and if Rachmaninov’s Symphony No.2 fits the bill absolutely perfectly. Conducted by Adam Hickox in his Liverpool debut, this concert takes the audience on an emotive journey – starting with Anna Meredith’s Nautilus, then through the motions of Barber’s Violin Concerto, before finishing gloriously on one of Rachmaninov’s most moving pieces.
Anna Meredith is something special; she belongs to that innovative pocket of the music industry that doesn’t stand for rules, that refuses to be told something ‘shouldn’t’ be done – and, clearly, it works. She’s everywhere you look – adverts, art installations, fashion campaigns… and, now, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic! This orchestral re-working of her 2011 piece, Nautilus, is nothing short of empowering. It propels you forward, pulls you towards some unknown future, and while there is something daunting about that – which is, indeed, reflected in the music – it is compelling, exhilarating, and leaves you wanting so much more. The music transports you somewhere else entirely; no longer are you sitting before an orchestra in an auditorium. You are anywhere but. The opening fanfare thickens into an oscillating, throbbing, mesmerising commotion; beautifully ordered chaos. I can’t count how many times I have gone back and listened to this piece since hearing it on stage; it is a modern masterpiece.
It feels almost as if you’re heading up the stairs and you assume there is one more step than there is, coming from Nautilus to the swooning opening of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto – but the drive of Meredith’s work is more than matched by the second movement, after allowing the audience to breathe and take in the auditory scenery of the first. The music is, of course, beautiful, compelling, moving – but violinist Ning Feng, the absolutely breathtaking Stradivarius, Vieuxtemps Hauser, in hand, elevates the piece immeasurably. Not enough can be said about his absolute talent, his ability to command a stage; even when not actively playing, his attentiveness to the swell of sound around him is captivating. Feng displays not only phenomenal dexterity, but also an acute regard for Barber’s Concerto. The sheer speed at which he is capable of playing, the clarity at which he can produce even the highest of notes, and the easy joy that pours out of him as he performs, is a privilege to behold.
It would have been so easy for Adam Hickox to have been completely overshadowed by the absolutely enthralling Nautilus, or the rare talent of Ning Feng. I found that, for the first half of the concert, I hardly paid him any mind whatsoever. Clearly he had done a wonderful job at conducting these pieces; Nautilus utterly captured my imagination, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Ning Feng… but Hickox himself – his carriage, his physical connection to the music – hadn’t yet taken centre stage. As with the previous pieces, Symphony No.2 is a journey. It is the embodiment of an impassioned relationship; it is dreamy, it is thunderous, it swells and wanes. There is all of the exhilaration and turmoil, peace and desire, of a classic love story – and Hickox threw himself into every aspect of those movements. He is well put-together, neat, unassuming – but you can see the smile on his face as the music ebbs towards those sections of the movements that he enjoys the most. Watching him is like watching someone sculpture water; his movements are structured, yet fluid, commanding, and yet there is a levity to him that is unequivocally enjoyable to observe. Seeing that connection to the music, and, as an extension, his connection to the orchestra, is a beautiful thing to behold; an absolute success, from beginning to end.