BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

Barbican Hall, 17 December 2015

A Child of Our Time would not appear to be an obvious choice for a Christmas choral work, but its passionate, heartfelt plea for humanity seemed all the more relevant in the current political situation. The BBC Chorus were on tip-top form with the outbursts thrillingly exciting and hushed moments genuinely moving. Sarah Tynan’s clarion soprano carried easily over the massed choral forces and the richness of Brindley Sherratt’s bass added authority to the narrator. Human warmth was again very evident from the compassionate approach of Alice Coote. The only slightly weak link in this strong group of soloists was Robert Murray. While the voice is finely honed, the actual volume was not strong enough to ride the chorus and so the text was frequently lost.

Tippett’s text, over half a century on, still causes problems but there is no such difficulty with the setting itself, the radiant spirituals drawing all the elements together.

This would easily have stood by itself but we had a first half which was in no way insubstantial, opening with the brief but finely formed potpourri from Oliver Knussen’s Higglety Pigglety Pop. The colour palette impressed throughout as does the subtle use of percussion even if the melodic structure might be too complex for young listeners.

This was followed by Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto with the young Swiss pianist  as soloist. He produced clean, crisp articulation throughout, often light and fluid even where the volume and intensity levels were high. His approach is frequently clipped and percussive, which suits the work well, and the orchestra was carefully crafted by Edward Gardner to mirror the approach. The only minor problem was Louis Schwizgebel’s left leg which seemed to have a mind of its own, flashing out sideways and often tapping loudly. Bring this under control and his performances could be faultless.