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Elgar Festival, Program 3 – Elgar’s Enigmas: James Ehnes (violin), Sydney Symphony, Vladimir Ashkenazy (conductor), Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Sydney, 12.11.2008 (TP)

Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op.61; Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches, Op.39 Nos.1 & 2; Variations on an original theme, Op.36 (Enigma)


The flowering partnership between the Sydney Symphony and its Principal Conductor designate continued to impress in this third program of their Elgar Festival. That conductor and orchestra enjoy making music together is as obvious as their care for and dedication to the music itself.  From the first notes of the violin concerto to the final coda of the Enigma Variations, this was the sound of an orchestra well prepared, on form and excited.

The Canadian violinist James Ehnes was a clear-eyed, straight forward soloist in the concerto.  The dramatic tension of the performance came not so much from his navigation of the score’s bravura writing as much as from the contrast between the lush orchestral sounds that supported him and his unsentimental rendering of the solo line.  Although his sound was glorious and he handled the sheer physical exertion of the piece as well as any violinist could, his golden tone was unvaried and the flexibility of phrasing he found in the cadenza of the immense final movement gave a glimpse of what could have been had he allowed himself a little room during the rest of the concerto.  There is a place for Ehnes' style of straight delivery, but at the spacious tempi set by Ashkenazy and the orchestra a more overtly emotional working through of this most romantic of concertos would have been even more satisfying.  Still, this was an excellent performance, not least for the gorgeous melancholy of the Sydney Symphony's strings in the slow movement.

The orchestra reappeared after interval for the first pair of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches.  The ebullient first was delivered with panache and the second was crisp with flashes of fire.  Ashkenazy and the orchestra were clearly in their element and the performance that followed was the highlight of the evening.  Of all the works Ashkenazy conducted in this Elgar festival, the Enigma Variations seemed to have a special place in Ashkenazy’s heart.  In addition to the enjoyment and careful preparation that he has brought to each of Elgar’s scores, this reading was imbued with an affectionate and all-pervading warmth which may have dulled the contrast between each variation slightly but gave the piece a compensating sense of wholeness.

The theme emerged with wavering hesitancy, as if unsure of itself until C.A.E. stepped up with supportive sweetness and sympathy.  Softer, gentler variations were shaped with care and the whizzing of R.B.T., the bustle of Troyte and the rampaging of G.R.S.’s bulldog were masterfully done.  At the heart of the performance, Nimrod was spacious and glowing, encouraging wistful smiles rather than tears.  E.D.U. tied the performance together in a dazzling conclusion.

The orchestra reveled in the score’s ample opportunities for display, but principal viola Roger Benedict deserves to be singled out.  His warmly expressive solo turn in Ysobel was perfectly complemented by his eloquent projection of the viola solo in Dorabella, which so often gets lost amid the woodwind chatter.

Tim Perry


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