SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Johann Strauss II, H K Gruber. Dukas and Tchaikovsky: Kensington Symphony Orchestra, Russell Keable, St John's, Smith Square, London, 29.11.2010 (BBr)

Johann Strauss II: Perpetuum Mobile, Ein musikalischer Scherz, op.257 (1861)

H K Gruber: Charivari: An Austrian Journal for Orchestra (1981 rev 1984)

Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1897)

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Act 2 (1891)

I recently read a description of Strauss’s Perpetuum Mobile as a silly romp, and that describes it perfectly. Over a preposterously bass line silly things happen and it never ends. H K Gruber is a composer who allows silly things to happen in his music, and here he has taken the Strauss work as a starting point. Indeed, Charivari is conceived so that you can play the Strauss piece and allow it to carry on into Gruber’s work.

Charivari is a folk custom, originating in France, and known in England as Rough Music (Gruber has written a Percussion Concerto under this name), whereby a group of people serenade newlyweds with raucous singing and a racket supplied by found instruments – pots, pans, what–have–you. It subsequently took on other meanings, but what Gruber sets out to do is to destroy Strauss’s music, by creating a work which gradually becomes more raucous, and sounding like 20^th century music, before returning to the original. It’s a lovely piece, magnificently subversive, but the modernist section is far too long for the scale of the work. If only Gruber had taken, as his starting point, the thought of the monkeys discovering 12–note music in Les Bander Log, and the humour and disruption caused in that music, I feel that he would have had a more balanced piece. The Kensington players clearly enjoyed this musical barbarism - who can blame them? - but no matter how good the playing it could not rescue the piece.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, on the other hand, was just right, lots of humour, sparkling playing, and over–the–top spells cast by the brass. The big acoustic of St John’s helped in the quieter moments, such as the opening, for it created a real sense of mystery and keen anticipation. Keable kept things under control, never letting the music run away with itself. And I didn’t once think of Mickey Mouse!

Act 2 of Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker contains almost all the music he used in the famous Suite and, not knowing the complete work, hearing these pieces in context proved an edifying experience. There’s some fine music here, but I do feel that Tchaikovsky, no matter how sincere he was whilst writing the work, does over–egg the pudding with far too many huge climaxes and bold brass writing for the time scale involved. And it certainly isn’t particularly subtle music either, a fact which Keable’s direction showed, but this isn’t a criticism, for he made the music thoroughly enjoyable and, when the composer allowed, delightful. I shall return to the Suite with fresh ears but I have little interest in hearing tonight’s offering again.

The Kensington Orchestra played to the usual high standard we have come to expect from it, with marvellous solo contributions and a fine, rich and full tutti.

Bob Briggs