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Dukas, Ravel , Haddad and Debussy:  Saleem Abboud Ashkar – piano, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra – Ilan Volkov, Symphony Hall, Birmingham 2.12.2008 (CT)

Dukas: La Peri
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand
Haddad: Alternative World-versions for piano and orchestra (UK premiere)
Debussy: La Mer


It would be gratifying to think that the traffic gridlock that appeared to have gripped the area around Birmingham’s Symphony Hall immediately prior to the start of Ilan Volkov’s guest appearance with the CBSO might have been attributable to sheer ticket demand for an appealing programme carrying the banner “A Taste of France”.  Sadly though it seems that the Rock band Coldplay, appearing in the neighbouring National Indoor Arena, was the reason for the apparent total absence of any parking space in central Birmingham. It was also the reason for this reviewer’s late arrival at Symphony Hall, the consequence of which was a lost, all too rare opportunity to hear Paul Dukas’s ravishing poème dansé La Peri. One can only hope that the classical music world might exact its revenge by one day drawing in similar audiences…a utopian vision perhaps but one to cherish nonetheless!

In point of fact, for a cold, early December night this was a reasonably large Symphony Hall audience which was treated to an impressive and intelligently directed programme by the still youthful Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Israeli born Ilan Volkov. Joined by his exact contemporary, the Palestinian-Israeli pianist Saleem Abboud Ashkar for Ravel’s Paul Wittgenstein inspired Piano Concerto in D for the left hand, Ashkar did not always appear physically comfortable on stage as his redundant right hand seemed to hover from the right side of the piano to the top of the instrument and back again. The beautifully evolving orchestral introduction to the initial Lento was shaped with exquisite care by Volkov but with a couple of minor but noticeable slips in the early bars from the soloist,  it was not until the central Allegro that the synergy between soloist and orchestra seemed  fully to find its footing. Suddenly the music found new life and spirit as the orchestra’s jazz inspired rhythms vied with Ashkar’s piano syncopations to lead into the final tempo primo and a cadenza from the soloist who now seemed to inhabit more comfortable territory.

If the performance of the Ravel proved to be somewhat erratic in execution, Ashkar seemed very much at home with the considerable technical demands of Saed Haddad’s Alternative World-versions, effectively a Piano Concerto in microcosm, with its material condensed into five fleetingly brief movements, played with minimal breaks between them. Born into a Christian family in Jordan in 1972, Haddad’s early vocation was to train as a Priest before a decision to concentrate on music saw him spend three years at King’s College, London where he studied with George Benjamin, ultimately gaining a Ph.D in composition.

Taking  a phrase by American philosopher Nelson Goodman as the title of the work (prior to turning to music, Haddad had gained a degree in Philosophy) and dealing with “rival theories about how we perceive the world,” the five movements, Tombeau, Idée fixe, sur le Néant, Ombres and Soliloque draw on pairs of opposites to create a sound world which occasionally recalls Boulez in its sudden extremes. The reduced orchestra was used sparingly but was prone to sudden outbursts that sometimes contrasted with the surprisingly romantic yet always volatile passage of the piano part. Ashkar’s knowledge of the music was always evident in his assured performance and Volkov’s direction crystal clear from the podium.

The highlight of the night for many in the audience though, was the wonderfully lucid performance of Debussy’s towering La Mer that brought the concert to a conclusion. With the orchestra having been in terrific form all night, the player’s response to Volkov’s expressive, lyrical direction was once again evident from the opening bars  - as he shaped and coloured the detail of Debussy’s highly intricate orchestration with an entirely natural affinity for the music. The CBSO  woodwind  in particular played with a sensitivity and textural awareness which was captivating, the brass warm and generous but also admirably controlled in the swell of the climaxes. The central Jeux de vagues captured a quite magical feeling of shifting colour, with deft touches from around the orchestra contributing to  Volkov’s nuanced reading of the work,  whilst the ominous build up to the storm of Dialogue du vent et de la mer was both unsettling and magisterial in its power.

The contrast of the sumptuous surroundings of Symphony Hall and Eastbourne where Debussy famously completed the orchestration of La Mer could hardly be greater, but with playing of this stature to engage the listener, there will not have been too many people in Symphony Hall who would have given that intriguing comparison a second thought.

Christopher Thomas


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