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Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Debussy and Stravinsky: Tatjana Vassiljeva (cello), Orchestra Nationale d'Ile de France, Yoel Levi, Cadogan Hall, London, 24.4.2009 (BBr)

Ravel: Mother Goose Suite
Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme
Debussy: La Mer
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1919)


It was only during the three encores – all Bizet, from Carmen and L'Arlésienne – that I realised what it was that had made this show so unsatisfactory. An encore is supposed to send us away happy in the knowledge that we have had an enjoyable time in the concert hall. It is, quite often, the best rehearsed piece of the programme, and it is sometimes given in a throw–away manner as if it were a musical shrug of the shoulders, a kind of “hey, thanks for coming”. It stands apart from the rest of the programme but yet it is a continuation, in some way, of it. It’s the dessert after the filling main course. What one doesn’t want is a programme which is presented as if it were a collection of encores with intrusions. This is what we were given tonight at the Cadogan Hall.

My expectations were high for I have heard the Orchestra Nationale d'Ile de France several times on Radio France Musique and I know it to be a fine band. So what went wrong and why my dissatisfaction?

The major problem was with the direction of conductor Yoel Levi, for he simply didn’t appear to be involved in the music making. He could certainly build a big climax and at particular moments – such as the endings of the outer movements of La Mer and the coda to The Firebird – he drew a splendidly full and exciting sound from his players, but more often than not he didn’t seem to have a grip on the architecture of the pieces. Thus the three orchestral works lacked real direction and sounded like a series of episodes, some of which were exciting and fulfilling, very much in an encore kind of way, but many were simply treated as the bits in between the good parts. There were a few occasion when the orchestra seemed to be trying to get away from this lacklustre approach and attempting to inject some life into the proceedings, but without any success.

The Tchaikovsky went well, and Tatjana Vassiljeva was a fine soloist, but here, I felt, a real opportunity was lost,. Why did this French orchestra not give us a major French work for cello? – here was a chance for us to hear André Caplet’s almost unknown, but excellent,  Epiphanie, fresque musical. I appreciate that someone would have had to learn the work, but it would have been more welcome than Tchaikovsky’s rather trite piece.

As to the overall interpretations, the Ravel lacked any ounce of that childlike (not childish) wonderment at the concept of Once Upon a Time, the cor anglais being especially unsubtle, but the contra bassoon, as the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, was magnificently gruff. In La Mer, the first appearance of the main chorale theme, around which the whole work is based, was given far too loudly, without any sense of mystery, and the pulling around of the tempo of Jeux de vagues was quite unnecessary. I could go on, but it isn’t necessary.

The orchestra really needed much more positive direction from a conductor who was more involved with the music, and who could really respond to it – such as Boulez.

Bob Briggs


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