Wagner, Schoenberg, Beethoven: Susan Bullock (soprano), BBC Symphony Orchestra,
David Robertson (conductor), Barbican Centre, London, 14.10.2005
(AO)
Surprisingly little attention
was given to this concert by David Robertson in his debut
as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBCSO in its 75th
anniversary year. Robertson is one of the most dynamic conductors
around, a man who positively exudes energy and musical intelligence.
The BBCSO is an excellent, open-minded orchestra: Robertson says they are a joy to work with because
they are so responsive to new ideas.
If this concert is anything to go by, this promises
to be a stimulating partnership.
Robertson
bounded onto the platform in his usual way and launched into
Wagner’s Prelude to Tristan und Isolde without fuss or ceremony.
Nothing was held back, as is sometimes the case when
an orchestra knows they have hours yet to go, and the audience
is waiting for the singers.
Robertson treated it as an entity in itself, every
detail vividly focussed, distilling the tension and yearning
of the whole opera into barely ten minutes.
Robertson's technique is striking.
He conducts with extreme precision – one movement of
the finger, one glance towards a player, nothing wasted or waffled. Even more impressive is the rapport he has
with the orchestra. When every player is this technically
accomplished, freedom of expression flows naturally.
This was a Prelude full of spontaneity, vigorously
and passionately played.
Seamlessly,
the orchestra moved from the Prelude to the Ewartung
without a break. This
was no mistake. Juxtaposing
the two pieces brilliantly illustrated their connection.
Both were revolutionary for their time, both extending
musical and emotional boundaries.
Robertson seemed to be treating the Prelude as brand
new music – conducting it as the daring, avant-garde thunderbolt
that caused such controversy in its time. At a stroke it put Ewartung into context, too. There
are many ways to interpret this piece, and this performance
revealed definite insights.
Wisely, it made full use of the timbre of Susan Bullock's
voice, so it truly integrated the individual talents on hand.
It is one thing for a conductor to have vision, but
a really creative conductor makes best use of the unique qualities
of those he or she works with.
Bullock's
voice is particularly well nuanced and warm.
Ewartung may be a cry of nightmarish anguish,
but Bullock's singing gave added depth. Her characterization was sensual, individual
words and phrases expressed with richly chromatic timbre. The effect was all the more disturbing because
it made the situation more human and believable. A singer with Bullock’s abilities can convey
the switch from tenderness to the sudden, difficult leap of
horror “Nein, das ist nicht der Schatten der Bank!” so well,
that the harsh screaming of some other versions seems a cheap
cop out. This interpretation
reaffirms the extreme eroticism underlying the obliteration
of rational thought. It demonstrates that this is indeed a
Liebestod in its own right.
The
orchestra, too, was superb – Robertson keeping a rumbling
undercurrent of murmuring strings against which every note
of the harp stood out clearly.
Truly, this playing evoked the idea of a forest alive
with unknown creatures: the sudden crescendos lighting up
details like flashes in the dark.
At one climax, Robertson bent backwards as the orchestra
roared forth – it was as they were an organic unit connected
by a kind of creative elastic and he was pulling, with them,
right into the audience.
The
apotheosis was reached in Beethoven’s Fifth.
These players are so good that they relish a chance
to play an old favourite as if it were completely new to them.
The sense of excitement was palpable: these players
know what they are capable of and respond well to Robertson’s
technique. Not a gesture
is wasted, not a detail muddied. Even his feet come to rest neatly together.
It was quite breathtaking how entire sections would instantly
fall silent exactly on cue, and resume with equally precise
attack. The interplay between the dominant march and
the more gentle passages throbbed with vigour and energy. The effect was relentless and celebratory at
the same time. The
chemistry between these musicians must be something special.
At the end, Robertson ran to the back of the orchestra
to raise the hand of one man who’d been particularly good.
It augurs very well indeed for the future.
Anne Ozorio
