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Sibelius, Beethoven and Dvořák: Daniel de Borah (piano), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Garry Walker, Cadogan Hall, London, 21.10.2008 (BBr)

Jean Sibelius: Suite: Pelléas and Mélisande, op.46 (1905)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 4 in G, op.58 (1804/1806)
Antonin Dvořák: Symphony No.7 in D minor, op.70 (1884/1885)


This is the third performance I’ve heard of Beethoven’s 4^th Concerto in as many months and, as with the others, this failed to engage me in the first movement. True, this music doesn’t have the dark intensity of the C minor Concerto which precedes it, nor does it have the flash and extrovert qualities of the E flat work which follows. What it does have is a wealth of singing lyricism, a restraint, a feeling of intellectual discourse which takes its time in unfolding its argument. But even the word argument is too strong for this music. My feeling is that performers, and not just this evening’s soloist and conductor, fail to understand that this movement is not for display and they misinterpret the more forceful passages as “dispute” when it is actually dialogue. Also, they fail to see clearly where the music is going. Starting with the gentle statement of the piano, immediately repeated by the orchestra, in the wrong key, Beethoven immediately startles us with his invention and what follows works out the relationship between soloist and orchestra. De Borah and Walker worked well together, indeed, never have I seen a conductor watch the pianist so attentively, ensuring that the orchestra was in full support of his thoughts. And it was well played but in the long run I felt that what was lacking in the reading was a real sense of cohesion between the various episodes; it simply didn’t hold together as a single train of thought. The second movement, which Liszt compared to the legend of Orpheus taming the wild beast (strings) with his lyre (piano) was magnificently handled. De Borah was the voice of reason, beautifully singing his gentle song to the urgent orchestra and bringing it to heel. The finale was well pointed and full of fun, as it should be, with fireworks a–plenty and a good spirit guiding the performance.

Daniel de Borah is a young Australian who has a fine command of the keyboard, and more than enough imagination to ensure insight into the music he is playing. Indeed, unlike so many pianists he managed to play the lyrical episodes of this work without resorting to halving the tempo, as so many pianists do, in the misguided attempt to gain better expression. Walker and the RPO accompanied him admirably.

There were no problems with the rest of the programme. It was a real treat to hear a short suite from Sibelius’s incidental music for a production of Maeterlinck’s Pelléas and Mélisande and I was very pleased that we didn’t hear The Death of Mélisande for, in this context, it would have been very wrong. So we had four very attractive, and light, pieces including the racy entr’acte and the beautiful Mélisande featuring the very mellow cor anglais of Leila Ward.

The Dvořák 7^th Symphony received a performance which was all fire and passion – the very elements missing from Caballé–Domenech’s performance, with the RPO, of the New World Symphony last week. In some respects it was a young man’s performance, but it was none the worse for that for Walker gave full rein to the band and they played like people possessed, every department glowing resplendent – the brass were especially fine if, perhaps, they were sometimes over–enthusiastic and overpowered everybody! By the finale Walker was signaling a toning down of the volume but it was too late, the trombones were loud and magnificent. Walker allowed the tragedy of the music, this is, after all, Dvořák’s tragic Symphony, to come through and the outer movements were all storm and stress, even the lovely slow movement had its moments of high drama. Only the scherzo furiant was without problems and it was fresh and light.

I can only hope that Walker will work with the RPO again, and soon, for the results he achieved tonight were well worth hearing. Full marks for a very fine show.

Bob Briggs


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