Schumann Cello Concerto
Queen's Hall 7/5/26
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Maxim Emelyanychev conductor, Philip Higham cello
Scottish Chamber Orchestra concerts which star one of their own players as a soloist are always special. In tonight's concert principal cellist, Philip Higham, who plays Schumann's Cello Concerto also fronts the British première of Jörg Widmann's '5 Albumblätter.' He introduces the concert, thanking all of us who've supported the SCO this year. He talks of the importance of music in a troubling world. The works in tonight's varied programme remind us of the importance of dreams.
This is certainly true of the first work, Mendelssohn's 1828 'Calm Seas and a Prosperous Voyage', a twelve minute gem and perfect concert-opener. My appreciation of thie overture was enhanced by a simple point in the programme notes. Nowadays calm seas are what one would wish for on a sea journey, but in the days of sailing ships, they weren't desirable. Mendelssohn, in response to two poems by Goethe, writes the first section about a ship be-calmed in harbour, which is only able to set off once the winds get up. Aha!
Nevertheless the first three calm minutes before the journey are wonderfully created in a rich full orchestral sound with the emphasis on the lower notes of the winds, and contentment is suggested by the unhurried pace. Flutes and higher winds herald the speeding up as the sails rise and the ship sets forth, bracingly and tunefully. The gradual arrival to shallower waters is indicated by gurgling which underlies a second cheerful theme. The work seems about to move to a warm satisfactory close when Mendelssohn wrong-foots us with a terrific delayed ending. The timpani starts to roll ominously underneath the orchestra, then has its own drum solo, before a trumpet fanfare, and another crescendo before finally the music briefly settles in the secure place we started from.
The Cello Concerto was written in 1850, three years after Schumann and his wife, Clara had mourned the early death of their friend, Mendelssohn. By then they had moved to Düsseldorf, where Robert became Music Director, and he was in a good frame of mind when he wrote the work in only two weeks. It was not, however, performed in his lifetime, and although notable 20th century cellists like Pablo Casals and later Steven Isserlis, championed it, it's still not particularly well-known. A straw poll of six regular concert goers revealed only one who had heard the work live.
Philip Higham says he has loved the piece since he was young, and his further thoughts on the concerto can be found in an interview on the SCO website. In the first movement he makes clear his commitment to the complexities of the inward looking, technically difficult solo part. It's marked Nicht zu schnell (not too fast) and he immediately embarks on the development of a long weaving melody, its phrases alternating with more rapid explorations of the instrument's lower notes. Meanwhile the orchestra plays a more dramatic version of this theme, and as the movement progresses there's more interplay between the soloist and the orchestral instrumentalists – echoing and exchanging phrases. There's no escaping the seriousness of this music, but it seems purposeful rather than gloomy. There are no breaks between movements and the shorter second movement, marked Langsam (slow) is the beautiful core of the concerto, with the cellist accompanied by pizzicato strings before his duet with another cello (tonight's guest principal cellist, Sarah McMahon). There's a change of mood in the last movement, sehr lebhaft (very lively), which includes the timpani for the first time, adding to the more expansive feel of the music. There are no extended cadenzas, although the last movement contains an accompanied one, where the strings join in the last bars of the soloist's phrases. Throughout Philip Higham and his wonderful late 17th century cello produce a thrilling performance. It’s obvious that the other members of the orchestra, never slow to indicate how much they enjoy playing, are also clearly relishing the opportunity to listen to their colleague. Maxim Emelyanychev's conducting is precise and encouraging, while allowing the cellist to set his own pace. The work, the soloist and the orchestra are given a lengthy ovation.
After the interval we hear Widmann's '5 Albumblätter' (5 Album leaves) which was completed in 2022, and is a hommage to Schumann. In his introduction to the concert, Philip Higham has told us that Widmann began composing the work while he was conductor of the Irish Chamber Orchestra, and took advice from his principal cellist, Christian Elliot, who died last year, and whom many of the SCO and the audience will remember. Philip Higham dedicates this première performance to him. The larger orchestra now includes a number of percussion instruments on the right of the conductor, with harp and celeste on his left. These softer instruments accompany the cellist initially, but much of the first part of the work focuses on winds and sometimes strings emitting brief outbursts of unmelodic sounds, screeches and howls – perhaps humorous as Widmann suggests, but certainly, as he also indicates in his notes, 'obsessive.' The latter part of the work, when a tuneful rhythmic 'bossa nova' on cello is supported by jazzy riffs on muted and unmuted brass, accompanied by various percussion shakers, is described as a dance for Robert and Clara and is great fun. Eventually this resolves itself into an ebullient circus-music presto. The performance is greeted with some laughter and a good deal of applause for the soloistsand orchestra who have kept pace with the work's challenges.
In Debussy's 1889 Petite Suite the first movement 'En bateau' takes us back to the pleasures of sailing Its gentle swaying and swirlings underpinning a lovely flute melody. A complete contrast to the Widmann, this warm affectionate work for chamber orchestra is an ideal conclusion to the evening. Cortège, a moderato march which builds to a stirring conclusion precedes two dances, a reflective Menuet and the vigorous Ballet.
Tonight's concert has again been a virtual sell-out – continued reassurance that the orchestra is providing what the public wants. This season's last concert is in the Usher Hall on Thursday 14th May. Maxim Emelyanychev conducts and Steven Osborne is the soloist in Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No 1, in which Aaron Azunda Akugbo plays trumpet. Shostakovich's Symphony No 9 and Dvořák's 'New World' Symphony complete the programme.
