Gershwin and Rachmaninov

Usher Hall 21/ 11 /25

Royal Scottish National Orchestra,

Big Noise Wester Hailes

Frank Dupree Jazz Trio

Patrick Hahn, conductor, Frank Dupree, pianist and conductor

A slightly odd programme on paper tonight at the Usher Hall, proved an exhilarating and life-enhancing experience for the good audience who had turned up on a very cold November evening.

Starting up with two pieces for the combination of the RSNO, conducted by Principal Guest Conductor, Patrick Hahn, and the primary children of the Sistema Big Noise Wester Hailes was a master stroke which put the audience in an extremely good mood. There is something fabulous about watching very young children, at the start of their musical lives, sharing a platform with one of the great orchestras, and making music together. Clearly, it’s unsophisticated and simple stuff for the kids, with open strings and easy bowing (all strings at this stage – they are too young to blow hard!), but the two compositions by Joëlle Broad and Keith Ramsey were fun and nice to listen to. The kids had a ball, and learned even at this stage what it is like to perform in front of lots of people.

Once they had taken their leave, there was more excitement for the audience as the RSNO was joined by the Frank Dupree Jazz Trio, a funky German combo of Mr Dupree himself, Jakob Krupp on double bass (or as we know from ‘Some like it Hot’ – the Bull Fiddle) and Obi Jenne on drums. The Usher Hall Steinway was centre stage as Patrick Hahn swapped with Frank Dupree as conductor and pianist for George Antheil’s ‘A Jazz Symphony’, in a version which rocked the old Usher Hall. Antheil was a phenomenon, mainly a scandalous one, whose vision for the future of music was, let’s say, individualistic. This piece, not a symphony in any way, has gone through several variations, and the one we heard tonight was actually a relatively mild one. A mishmash of ‘Stravinsky, Scott Joplin, a mariachi band, a Charleston and an old time waltz’, the Trio and the effervescent Patrick Hahn, who revealed himself as a brilliant pianist, joined with the RSNO in a funtastic 7 minutes of joyous music-making.

Frank Dupree reverted to solo piano for the Concerto in F by George Gershwin, which debuted to much acclaim in New York in 1925, although the version we heard tonight was arranged by Mr Dupree for jazz trio and orchestra. The performance was simply outstanding with great solos from Christopher Hart on trumpet and the orchestra’s Co-Leader, Igor Yuzefovich. Frank Dupree on piano was phenomenal and the orchestra was superbly directed by Patrick Hahn, who clearly has established a great rapport with the RSNO. Everything I have seen him conduct has been special, and we are indeed fortunate to have him as Principal Guest Conductor.

The audience roared its acclaim at the rousing end of the concerto, so much so that Frank Dupree returned with his trio and the five members of the RSNO percussion section for a truly magnificent percussive encore, a version of Duke Ellington’s ‘Caravan.’ The whole encore was dominated by the impressive figure of Colin Hyson, patrolling in front of the piano with two wooden blocks, and holding everything together. A mixture of bongos, triangle and other favourite banging things brought the first half of the concert to a truly memorable end, and the audience went wild, in a very Edinburgh way!

After the interval, we heard a superb performance of Rachmaninov’s 3rd Symphony, premiered in 1936 by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. After the great success of the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini the year before, the American public, and indeed the whole world, was expecting something extraordinary from the exiled Russian giant, but the 3rd Symphony was met with a somewhat lukewarm reception, and while enjoying the splendid performance by the RSNO and Patrick Hahn, I must say that I share that initial reaction to some extent. I can’t quite put my finger on why - it’s clearly a major work by a major composer, and beautifully orchestrated with typically lovely melodies by a master of tunefulness, but, for me, there is something missing.

I wondered if it was lacking in Russian soul, but my wife assured me that that was what she liked about it most. Perhaps it is rather too gloomy, but it ends on a high note!

 What I can do is celebrate an excellent performance by the RSNO, conducted with elan and insight by Patrick Hahn. As I sat watching him from the stalls, I was able to muse that I would love to have been conducted by him in my previous existence as an operatic bass singer, so clear and precise is his beat. He must be a joy for the orchestra to play with, and his mercurial conducting keeps both audience and orchestra on their toes, as it were.

There were ravishing solos in the symphony, notably by Co-Leader Igor Yusefovich, whose sweetness of tone is quite special, putting me in mind of the great David Oistrakh. Amadea Dazely-Gaist continues to impress enormously as the new Principal horn, while Pippa Tunnell had lovely moments on the harp. As ever, the solo playing in the orchestra was top class, and Rachmaninov’s lush string music was played to the hilt by the string section.

As we tumbled out into the freezing rain after the concert, it struck me that this was yet another pretty near full house at the Usher Hall, which seems to have become the norm here in Edinburgh. We are truly lucky to have such a top orchestra in Scotland, with many players from our own country as members, and it seems that the paying public has taken this on board. In a week when a singer put his head above the parapet to cry out for more government support for music in Scotland rather than less, it is more important than ever that we keep vigilant in the face of creeping cuts to budgets, that identify music, and classical music in particular, as a soft touch. It’s important, it’s life-enhancing and it’s necessary!