BBCSSO: Volkov Conducts ‘Petrushka’
City Halls, Glasgow - 25/01/24
Ilan Volkov, conductor | Joanna MacGregor, piano
“Escape into Folktales & Mischief” – the tagline for the return of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to the Thursday night concert series in Glasgow’s City Halls, under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor, Ilan Volkov, promised an eclectic mix of musical storytelling. The headline work, which closed the programme, was the (usually) popular Stravinsky 1911 ballet, ‘Petrushka’, fulfilling the folktale promise in the shape of the typically Russian trope of a supposedly inanimate object possessing a soul and experiencing emotional (and physical) pain. Stravinsky’s music also opened the programme with his 1928 work,4 Études for orchestra. The filling of the Stravinsky sandwich comprised two ‘experimental’ English 21st-century works, Howard Skempton’s 2017 Piano Concerto with Joanna MacGregor as soloist, preceded by the world premiere of Michael Parsons’ ‘LEVELS for Orchestra’. The concert was introduced by Kate Molleson and broadcast live on Radio 3. Kate presents, among other things, Radio 3’s New Music Show and did not conceal her enthusiasm for the inclusion of ‘experimental’ music in the programme, which was a little ironic as the attendance was disappointingly sparse.
The 4 Études are Stravinsky’s orchestrations of 3 Pieces for String Quartet (1914) and an Étude for Pianola (1917). All 4 clothe rhythmically and thematically inventive material in a layer of exploration of tonal and timbral orchestral colour. The first, ‘Dance’, is a very brief march-like piece with suggestions of Russian folk melody but refrain responses like a French street song. The second, ‘Eccentric’, was also march-like, but featured sparsely textured scene-painting with peremptory loud interruptions and a very interesting piano part (skilfully realised by Lynda Cochrane). The third, a ‘Canticle’, was slower, recalling in the lower winds the more solemn moments of the ‘Rite of Spring’, with some lyrical writing for the 3 flutes, a characterful clarinet solo (Yann Ghiro) and a serenity in the string texture. The final Étude, ‘Madrid’, was Stravinsky in circus mode with a distinctly Spanish flavour. A first hearing for me, and it received a spirited outing with fabulous playing under expert direction from Ilan. Full marks.
Before performing the Parsons piece, Ilan addressed the hall, dedicating the performance to the recently-deceased composer John White, a friend and associate of both Michael Parsons and Howard Skempton, who was equally involved in the Scratch Orchestra which formed in Morley College in 1969 to perform ‘experimental’ music. Insofar as the music has any formal ‘structure’, it is an exploration of layering of timbres through a series of modules, each appearing through interruption of the previous. I found many of these modules evocative and filmic, though my ear could not detect any element that drove a sense of motion towards a conclusion. Not being known for a tolerance of 12-note navel-gazing, I found myself involuntarily recalling the Stravinsky dictum: “Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end”. That said, there were spellbinding moments, including a deliciously bleak passage for solo violin (Kanako Ito) and cello (Rudi De Groote), a hectic pursuit with scurrying strings and some great brass writing. As with the Stravinsky, the playing and direction were phenomenal. The composer was present and came to the stage to acknowledge the (moderately) enthusiastic applause.
Still securely within the experimentalism genre and not without 12-note elements, Howard Skempton’s concerto seemed to paradoxically combine a more overt sense of organisation with a greater sense of expressive freedom. It is unambiguously organised into 5 discrete short movements, each with an individual character. The first featured shifting discords and harmonies, some arpeggiated, and a meditative solo passage. The second was more agitated, with muted strings partially calming the piano’s anxiety. The third was quieter and more lyrical, a tripping, syncopated, jazzy dance. The fourth, with great sonorities and tonal range from growling depths to the top notes of piano and piccolo, settled to the piano wandering through a surreal dreamscape. The delightful finale was another jazzy syncopated dance, elegant and restrained, with a lovely part for solo trumpet (Mark O’Keeffe) in dialogue with the piano. Throughout, the fabulously talented Joanna MacGregor exploited every opportunity for characterful expression, while Ilan and the orchestra gave her genial reading of the piece the fullest support. Composer, soloist and conductor embraced to the enthusiastic cheers of the Glasgow audience. Joanna gave a short, sweet encore, one of Howard Skempton’s many early solo piano pieces, lyrical and charming.
Those who had been scared off attending by the unfamiliar programme missed a great live Petrushka, though of course it will be available to listen and download on BBC Sounds for a month. The BBCSSO seem to relish every opportunity for musical picture-painting and are fortunate in the team of excellent conductors who excel in the art. Stravinsky’s talent for synthesising Russian folklore, romance and melodrama with music of compelling immediacy delivers the perfect palette for such consummate artists. It was superb. Special mention for the brass, who were on top form and clearly, both literally and metaphorically, had a blast. Full marks from me.