Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth, 6 October 2013

Saved almost at the last minute by generous donations from friends and well-wishers, the new season got off to a rousing start with an all-Beethoven programme. Barry Wordsworth took a moment to thank those who had donated and also to welcome back leader John Bradbury who has been missed by all of us over the last year.

The afternoon may have looked conventional enough but the playing, particularly the concerto, made this into a highly memorable occasion.

Radiant horns and some subtle woodwind brought Beethoven’s overture Leonore No3 to life, setting the seal for the afternoon.

Jayson Gillham may have a reputation for being somewhat laid-back but there was nothing overtly casual about his approach to the Emperor concerto. The opening was brisk and bright, with a clipped staccato attack, before a beautifully paced and almost indulgently romantic account of the second movement. Fire returned with a bouncing rondo finale which at times verged on the cheeky. A splendid interpretation, and one which captured the enthusiasm of the audience. Many wanted to applaud after the first movement, which on this occasion would certainly have been justified – had this been a Prom it would almost certainly have happened!

The Pastoral symphony was a more relaxed affair though tempi were mainly on the rapid side. The horns again impressed, with the rasp of the hunt in appropriate places. I had not realised before how astute Beethoven is in keeping the music moving so fluidly. Where Vaughan Williams’ pastoral approach verges on stasis and meditative calm, Beethoven’s rural scene is constantly alive and buzzing, bar by bar, without any hint that the excitement of life will end. The cellos came into their own towards the end of the last movement and the whole reached a fine and highly satisfactory conclusion.

The next concert on Sunday 3 November brings us an all Bach programme including the Magnificat where the BPS are joined by the Brighton Festival Chorus. Details from www.brightonphil.org.uk BH

London Coliseum, 30 September 2013

We have come to expect challenge from a Christopher Alden production and there may possibly have been a sense of relief among many that, for most of the evening, we were not asked to work too hard to enjoy his approach. The narrative, centred on Freudian Vienna, moves from the decadent end of the nineteenth century to the puritanism of the early fascist movement. As part of this, Frosch moves from the conventional drunken jailor to an epileptic neo-Nazi who eventually takes over the prison as the party-goers are cowed into submission.

If this all sounds rather humourless it certainly wasn’t for most of the evening. The opening scenes, with a bed straight out of Der Rosenkavalier, work very well and the interchange between characters, while distanced by the framing narrative, are never less than real. Alden has a way of making the action credible while ensuring we reflect upon it, rather than indulge ourselves.

He is excellent at pin-pointing stereotypes for us. Adele, a Welsh maid in the opening scenes, morphs easily into a Louise Brooks vamp for act two. Rhian Lois has both the voice and the looks for this and she carried both with style. Tom Randle and Julia Sporsen as the Eisenstein’s not only spark off each other but seem to have a far more secure relationship than is often the case.

Jennifer Holloway’s Orlovsky is a neurotic mess, crawling about and readily adopting a foetal position whenever under threat.

Above all of the action lurks Richard Burkhard’s ever present Falke. Not only is he the Freudian master of the revels but he frequently takes notes from his patients as the plot evolves. Whenever, conventionally, a character speaks to the audience, here they are speaking to their therapist – it works surprisingly well.

Simon Buttereiss brings his usual gift for characterisation, and the even greater gift for clarity of diction, as Dr Blind, being asked to do far more, and reveal far more, than most Dr Blind’s are ever called to do.

The chorus are splendid throughout and subtly turn the Brudermein scene into something rather more sinister in its hints of sexual laxity.

Eun Sun Kim drives her orchestra hard though there were some minor slips on the first night which will presumably settle quickly.

The approach may be challenging but that should not put anyone off – there is a great deal here to enjoy. BH

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski, Birmingham Symphony Hall

26 September 2013

What better way to open the new season in Birmingham than with an anniversary performance of a work which was to change the face of British opera when it was first performed in 1945.

Having given us a riveting account of Billy Budd at Glyndebourne earlier this summer, Vladimir Jurowski now brought us an impassioned and hard driven Peter Grimes in the glorious acoustic of Birmingham Symphony Hall.

Many semi-staged performances are little more than a trail of singers on and off the platform but Daniel Slater’s approach was far more dynamic. The chorus (London Voices) act and react throughout, moving position behind the orchestra, breaking into groups and, for the massive out-pouring at the end of the man-hunt, moving right to the front of the platform. Soloists were equally involved, singing from memory and inter-acting with conviction. Clothing may have been modern but was accurate to character and emotional impact. I can’t recall an Ellen Orford who looked so obviously a primary school teacher.

All of this would have been of little account had not the musical impact been equally impressive. Vladimir Jurowski drives the score with an intensity which does not let up. The storm is released with unexpected passion and power, and at a speed which left one breathless. The combination of physical and psychological unravelling was carried over into the more introspective moments, making them all the more fragile.

Cast from strength, there were no weaknesses in the ensemble. The approach of both conductor and director seemed to highlight the sheer nastiness of Borough society in the face of a troubled outsider. Stuart Skelton’s Grimes is unusually sensitive. His phrasing of Three days in the opening scene and later alone .. alone when describing the boy’s death to Balstrode, gave us an insight into Grimes’ character which was elaborated in the transcendent performance of When the Great Bear..

Pamela Armstrong’s Ellen was the troubled bridge between the Borough and Grimes, strong enough to stand up to the bullies but unable, in the long run, to save Grimes from them. She often allowed her solo singing to become unexpectedly romantic, and one could sense the impact of late Puccini on Britten’s writing – something I had not noticed before.

Alan Opie’s troubled Balstrode and Brindley Sherratt’s all too human Swallow led the Borough characters, none of whom were caricatured, making the social grouping all the more unpleasant.

Having the orchestra so exposed allowed the interludes to speak with greater authority, and without the usual coughs and squeaks which we get in the opera house. Woodwind seemed particularly edgy and acidic, making the sea a more dangerous and threatening place – a force as ominous as the folk of the Borough.

The performance was not being recorded – a pity for this was one of the most enthralling Grimes that I can recall.

And a footnote: given that this was the first night of the international season, and one of the finest casts available for a key work in the Britten anniversary season – where were the audience? I know there is a lot going on in Birmingham at present but the number of empty seats was disappointing. BH