Mendelssohn, Bruch and Dvorak: Alina Ibragimova (violin), Philharmonia Orchestra, Richard Hickox (conductor) Fairfield Halls, Croydon 24.5.2008 (CR)


This was the sort of performance one would expect from one of the world’s best orchestras – musical prowess, combined with technical perfection, faultless intonation, a well-balanced sound and a seemingly effortless sense of ensemble. Mendelssohn’s celebrated and well-loved Hebrides Overture made full use of Fairfield Hall’s excellent acoustic, with the orchestra conjuring up images of an eventful journey at sea, complete with storms, swells and turbulence. It is all too easy with well known works for complacency to set in; not so here. The performance was full of drama and excitement, alongside some beautifully poignant calmer moments, reminding me what it is about this overture that has made it so popular. Most notable was the beautifully quiet clarinet solo, sensitively joined by the second clarinet with excellent blending and perfect ensemble.

The concerto in this programme was one of many performances of the Bruch scheduled with Alina Ibragimova. Born to a musical family (her father is the principal bass player of the London Symphony Orchestra and her mother is a violin professor at the Yehudi Menuhin School), Ibragimova has a dazzling and busy solo career, despite having not yet reached her 23^rd birthday. Her performance showed maturity from the opening bars, and her bright sound was enticing. This was a spirited performance, with an exquisitely poised, heartfelt slow movement. In the finale, she really gave the sense that she was throwing her heart and soul into the music, and it was truly exciting to listen to.

Dvorak’s Seventh Symphony concluded the programme. The first movement was slightly heavy in the hands of Hickox and had less of a dance–like lilt than I had anticipated. However, the orchestra captured the essence of Dvorak’s turbulent, dark harmonic language with an intense brooding in the second movement. There were some beautifully rich cello melodies and some well executed wind solos. The Scherzo had charm and poise, while the finale had a wonderfully Eastern European flavour, fused with the romanticism of Brahms. Some carefully considered rubato gave additional elegance to the proceedings. The brass playing, especially from the horns, was magnificent.

Most arresting in this performance (and this may be to some extent due to the fabulous acoustic in the hall) was the Philharmonia’s phenomenal dynamic range.  I first encountered orchestral repertoire from the flute section at a young age, and grew up with the sound of the orchestra around me. As a result, I have often found the experience from the audience to be a little underwhelming – the sound is often distant and less encompassing. At this concert, however, the sound was such that it was the closest I have ever come to feeling like part of the orchestra, without actually playing. The effect of the fortissimo end of the dynamic range was palpable, and contrasted beautifully with the delicate piano sections. The clarity was also impressive, and the middle voices could be easily heard. It is a shame that programming at Fairfield Halls is necessarily cautious (the classical season comprises mainly of popular mainstream works), as the combination of an acoustic like that with such excellent orchestral playing is an enormously underrated asset in London’s concert life.

Carla Rees


Back to Top                                                    Cumulative Index Page