SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Mussorgsky, Beethoven, Sibelius : Hélène Grimaud (piano) Philharmonia Orchestra, Kirill Karabits (conductor), Royal Festival Hall, London 31.1.2008 (AO)

 and

Luca Francesconi:  Luigi Gaggero (cimbalom), Anton de Ridder (conductor), Members of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall, London 31.1.2008 (AO)


This evening started with the innovative South Bank feature, “Music of Today” which showcases (obviously enough) new music.  Luca Francesconi’s recent work, Kubrick’s Bone received its UK premiere.  It’s written for cimbalom, a instrument with an ancient heritage: striking the strings with mallets, which can be dampened or brightened with adjustable cotton ends.  At times it can sound like a harp, or a harpsichord, a banjo or a lute, so much depends on the players technical expertise. The title comes from Stanley Kubrik’s film, 2001 A Space Odyssey, where the primitive ape finds a bone and encounters the mysterious giant monolith.  The cimbalom illustrates these concepts well, for it has a unique resonance which comes from the vibrations that extend beyond the mechanical manipulation of hammers and strings. The soloist, Luigi Gaggero, is clearly sophisticated technically, yet understands how much the instrument's character comes from intuitive sensitivity. The cimbalom leads the other instruments, who mimic its sounds and suggest variations.  Unfortunately, the performance was interrupted by a faulty alarm elsewhere in the building.  Yet it’s a fascinating piece, inventive, lively and lyrical enough to appeal even to audiences who assume they don’t like “new music”. Perhaps it can be heard again soon at the South Bank ?

In contrast, the evening’s main concert had a programme full of popular blockbusters, guaranteed to please. The capacity audience was almost certainly drawn by the presence of Hélène Grimaud, in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no 5, the much loved “Emperor.”  She has lived with this piece so long that she has a very individual approach to it.  She doesn’t settle for heavy-handed drama, but instead seeks out the intellect that dynamizes the piece. This however, means that she needs an orchestra equal to the challenge, as her recent recording with Jurowski and Staatskapelle Dresden demonstrates.  While Grimaud played with conviction, the response was muted.  In the first movement, there wasn’t much sense of the architecture that gives the piece such power.  In the quieter passages in the second movement, especially, Grimaud was excellent, but she needed more from the orchestra.

The performance was originally to have been conducted by Paavo Järvi, who had to cancel for personal reasons.  He was replaced by Kyrill Karabits, who is conducting at Glyndebourne this summer and will take over from Marin Alsop in Bournemouth next year. This is perhaps the most high profile London event he’s conducted and could instantly have made his reputation.  However, we don’t know how long he had to prepare and make his mark on the orchestra, so it’s unfair to judge him by this showing, particularly by the Mussorgsky Night on a Bare Mountain, with which he began the programme. Although this was standard repertoire, and he has solid experience behind him, Karabits may reveal his potential more gradually.

Indeed, he seemed to come into his stride much more confidently with Sibelius’s Second Symphony.  Neeme Järvi, father of Paavo, is one of the great Sibelians of our time, so there’s no point comparing Karabits to him, or even to Paavo. The second movement in particular showed a good understanding of how the cellos, double basses and violas provide an undercurrent that surges like an underground river. Clarinets and flutes have the more obviously beautiful passages, but this darker intensity propels the symphony forward. Karabit’s Sibelius is thoughtful and measured, virtues worth cherishing indeed.

Anne Ozorio

Back to Top                                                    Cumulative Index Page