Photo, Chris Christodoulou
Friday, August 18, 2023
Royal Albert Hall, London
Considering Stravinsky thought the orchestra he used for The Firebird (1910) to be “wastefully large” and he subsequently made three Suites from the ballet score, it is perhaps surprising how often the complete work is programmed. Gemma New relished the music’s painterly qualities, bringing the fairy-tale to narrative and scenic life, and drawing full-flavoured as well as subtly varied playing from the BBC Scottish members – shapely, precise, lucid, with offstage and extra brass in good perspective – although the ‘Infernal Dance’ was rather cautious and the ultimate pages (cued by a superb horn solo) were rushed and clipped. Overall, much to admire.
The concert opened with the European premiere of Samy Moussa’s Second Symphony. Symphony? More a filmic synthesis, the orchestration more impressive than the unengaging musical material. Then Pavel Kolesnikov gave an ear-opening account of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto (composed for his teenage son Maxim) a seemingly deceptive piece beyond the already-perceived high-jinks and romance, for although the moderate tempo chosen for the first movement retained its perky character, there was the addition of something tongue-in-cheek and acerbic, New taking advantage of the speed for purposes of detail to complement the piano. The slow movement was of bittersweet Chopin, pathos to the fore, and the Finale was not as hectic as it can be, to advantage. Between them, Kolesnikov and New found fresh and pertinent angles to really open the work up, now less of a divertissement, with something darker, sinister and regretful given added value. He went on to give a Bach Prelude as transcribed by Siloti into B-minor, a favourite of Gilels’s, Kolesnikov profoundly following suit.
Stravinsky’s Firebird is a ballet score, not a concert item (which is why the composer selected the best bits for his concert suite – redone when he discovered in America that the music was not legally copyrighted, so he did it again, slightly differently, to get over that financial hurdle). The music is 95% boringly, slow, without any internal action at all, and to be experienced properly has to be seen in a theatrical production, not heard in a concert hall with such little aural variety. Orchestras programme the complete score as it is (a) easy – just the Infernal Dance is a bit more challenging; (b) ticks the ‘modernish music’ box, although it is over 110 years old, and (c) ‘look at us, we’re doing the complete Firebird, not just the Suite’. The complete Firebird was not written for the concert hall, and the composer’s own views and solutions to his self-imposed problem should be respected.
I would love to see John’s score for Edward II performed. Is there any chance of the ballet as well Monica?
Meanwhile the Suite would do.
I shall speak with John Gibbons.
Pertinent and knowledgeable as ever, Bob. But it IS possible to make a ballet score ‘symphonic’, as critics have noted about John’s score for – particularly – Edward II. It was more difficult to make a score symphonic for the 2-evening ballet about King Arthur (Arthur Pendragon and Le Morte d’Arthur) but there are some splendid bits in it. Of the Ballet Suite extracted by John, Calum Macdonald said, ‘Three of the four movements – which …..describe a quasi-symphonic trajectory – are drawn from the ballet’s Act 1….By contrast the pas de deux ‘Igraine and Uther’ evokes the night on which Uther…beds Gorlois’s wife Igraine….This movement is one of McCabe’s finest inspirations..’ etc (Cutting the quote to bare bones.) The Ballet Suite is superb Proms material. Will it ever get played there? Fat chance, especially under current circumstances.
The alleged symphony by Moussa was twenty minutes of anonymity.
Such a kind comment of yours, Edward. The ballet Edward II had more than 70 performances at the time, here and also in Hong Kong and NY. The trouble now is that David Bintley, Artistic Director at Birmingham Royal Ballet and organiser and choreographer for Edward (actually at Stuttgart Ballet originally), has now retired from that position, and the current artistic director at BRB has his own plans, which do not favour a revival. I think his tendency is for lighter material and standard classics. I did drop a note to Kevin O’Hare at the Royal Ballet earlier this year. He was in his dancing days a notable Edward. He replied very kindly, and appeared to consider the possibility, but whether anything will happen I don’t know.
John decided that the score for Edward was too symphonic to divide into a ballet suite (or more). Instead he made music from the ballet into his Symphony No. 5, subtitled Edward. However that is not recorded. I’m sure it works musically speaking, but to me it sounds slightly odd, because the music does not follow the events of the ballet, which I know so well. It is in any case un-recorded, as with John’s symphonies Nos. 6 and 7 – despite my continual efforts in this direction. Even to get them broadcast is problem – though Symphony Edward was broadcast once, with the BBCNOW. Times are not currently good for British white male composers from the later 20th century, however. There seems to be a strong bias against them at the BBC. I am not the only one noticing this.
The Arthur Ballet Suite No. 1 is recorded however, with John’s First Piano Concerto (McCabe, pno), and Pilgrim for Double String Orchestra, on a very good Dutton Epoch CD. I may even have a spare, if I look, and if you would like one.
McCabe Symphony 5 (Edward II) here:
https://www.colinscolumn.com/the-notable-composer-and-pianist-john-mccabe-would-have-been-84-today-his-symphony-no-5-edward-ii-in-an-undated-performance-by-bbc-national-orchestra-of-wales-conducted-by-christopher-austin/