Prom 25 : Boulez, Birtwistle
London
Sinfonietta, BBC Singers, Susanna Mälkki
(conductor) Royal Albert Hall, London, 31.07.2007
(AO)
This
Prom may well prove to have been a historic
occasion, to be remembered in years to come.
First, works by two of the most important
composers of our time were premiered. Secondly,
this was the London debut of Finnish conductor
Susanna Mälkki, who has already shown such promise
that she could, be one of the greats in time.
Even the least informed music lover will
have heard 'of' Boulez and Birtwistle and Boulez’s
Dérive II in its various forms is already
so well known that it’s hard to believe anyone
with an interest in new music wouldn’t be keen on
its latest incarnation. So why was this Prom
relegated to the ghetto of a late night
performance ? Why do far less valid works get
high profile Proms and star billing ?
Fortunately there were enough in the know to make
this a fairly well attended event despite the
late slot, and there were some very big names in
the audience, too. They were rewarded. This was
an electrifying performance, with the Sinfonietta at
their best, inspired by some of the sharpest
conducting I’ve heard in ages.
Boulez may be 83, but there’s more spirit and
vivacity in him than many a third his age.
Composers have always revised their work, so that
in itself is nothing new. But Dérive II is
part of a more unusual process, for with each
evolution, Boulez expands the initial ideas into
distinctly new works. This piece could even be
called Dérive III as it’s a substantial
reworking, nearly twice as long as its
predecessor, and even more complex. It’s not easy
to take in on first hearing, but luckily the BBC
provides repeats so that the more I’ve listened, the more
I’m getting out of it. Part of the fascination
with Boulez is the way his music grows
organically, from different earlier sources, each
piece enriching another. And just as it helps to
understand Mahler’s output as a whole to
appreciate the individual symphonies, Boulez’s music
is like a continuous adventure, a journey of
exploration that defies fragmentation. For him,
the essence of new music is that it is free
spirited and open ended, allowing ideas to develop
without rigid preconditions. Creativity never
“ends” and ideas progress as life itself progresses.
Even if Boulez never writes another note (God
forbid !) his music will live on, fertilizing the
imagination of its listeners, expanding in their
souls.
This
music is extremely intricate, ideas interweaving
and morphing into different forms, sometimes
pivoting on a single note. Although there are
still only eleven instruments, they interact in
layers and follow on each other, creating depth
even though the basic line is clear and unfussy.
The music is like a living organism, moving,
unfolding, spiraling, like a plant shooting out of
the soil, its tendrils unfurling, turning towards
the light. Boulez may have a reputation for steely
intellect, but this is surprisingly sensual music,
exquisitely vivid and expressive. There are even
lyrical passages where snatches of near-melody
flit past, tantalizingly elusive. The clarinet and
violin parts - played by Sinfonietta stalwarts
Mark van der Wiel and Clio Gould – are
particularly intriguing, but are carefully
integrated into the texture. Sometimes shapes
arch, circle or are elliptical, so there’s a sense
of movement and evolution, defined in subtle
changes of metre.
Refreshing as this may be to listen to, it
certainly isn’t easy to play. Much good mainstream
music can stand up to indifferent playing, because
audiences respond to the work being played and
assume that if they enjoy it, it “must” be the
performance. It’s almost impossible to do a dull
Beethoven 5th but music like this
challenges all performers and stretches players to
excel themselves. It’s exhilarating to hear
performances as inspired as this. The Sinfonietta
are of course masters of this genre, but Mälkki is
exceptional. Her style is incisive, reflecting a
deep understanding of structure and relationships.
She keeps textures lucid and navigates the tricky
metre changes deftly. Her signals are precise yet
also intuitive. Her hands weave shapes expressing
the spirit of the music. Moreover, she anticipates
what’s developing. Good conducting isn’t just
beating time and marking entries, it’s leadership
and vision.
Mälkki may not be well known in this country but
that means nothing at all. She was chosen as
musical director of Ensemble Intercontemporain by
some of the sharpest musical minds in the genre,
and succeeds no less than Nott, Robertson and
Boulez himself, its founder. Ensemble Intercontemporain
is formidable, one
of the greatest new music ensembles of all and Mälkki's
lucid, incisive performances show real strength of
character and creative integrity, the qualities of
a conductor out of the ordinary. If she can
inspire Ensemble Intercontemporain as she inspires
the Sinfonietta, we’re in for very exciting times
indeed.
It
was an all-Birtwistle concert that clinched Mälkki's appointment in
Paris,
so this performance of Birtwistle’s Neruda
Madrigales was authoritative. Neruda’s poem,
Ode to the Double Autumn, is minimalist,
single words like “o” and “de” spaced alone, on
separate lines. Birtwistle captures this unusual
textural device in gaps and silences, evoking a
spirit of timelessness and spirituality - hence
the references to Monteverdi and to madrigals. A
cimbalom adds a muted steady pulse, while the
strings create lovely washes of colour. It’s a
large piece built on simple foundations, but this
performance made it convincing.
This
was such an important concert that it really ought
to have been given more prominence. It’s almost
insulting that two of the greatest composers of
our time are shunted off to a late night slot
while far less edifying material gets prime time
coverage. What’s the logic ? Why should good new
music get pariah status ? It’s simply not true
that Boulez and Birtwistle are unknown, or box
office poison. New music suffers from many unfair
prejudices, so relegating music like this to the
ghetto of late night Proms reinforces the idea
that challenging music is somehow outside the
pale. Furthermore, people living outside London,
or dependent on public transport, are effectively
excluded from going to Proms that end near
midnight. Maybe “popular” material has its
purposes, but fibre and substance are important to
long term musical health. This is a very serious
issue, and one which needs to be addressed in the
spirit of the BBC’s mission to “inform, educate
and entertain”.
Anne
Ozorio
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