BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra: Sibelius 7
Back at the Usher Hall
A cheerful crowd gathers in the late September sunshine outside the Usher Hall. We’re dressed in linen jackets, open -necked shirts, cotton dresses – the summer finery none of us had the chance to wear at our chilly tented 2021 Festival. It’s good to be back here at last for the first classical music concert of the Autumn/Winter season.
In the hall, the audience are socially distanced, and the musicians are too. There are 53 names on the programme list, and the players are spread to the edges of the stage, and upwards on the choir stalls, with the trombones almost as high as the organ. I wonder if playing these instruments further back and higher means the other musicians are less likely to be affected by these aerosols we’ve heard so much about. Whatever the reason, it is wonderful to have the full sound of a brass section in a programme which provides such glorious opportunities for them.
This is a celebration of Sibelius centred on the Violin Concerto, played by his fellow Finn, Pekka Kuusisto, and Symphony No 7. Finnish composer, Magnus Lindberg’s Chorale also features, and there’s room for a tiny bit of Bach and a longer bit of Beethoven. Oh, and an interval.
The first half of the concert is played without a break. Bach’s ‘Es ist genug’ (It is enough) is set as a two-minute fanfare for brass and runs straight into the Chorale which is based on the same tune. From their new perch, two trumpets and two trombones give a plain rendition of the theme, which is immediately picked up in the complex modern setting. There’s lots more brass in that – but it’s overlaid by an intricate surface of strings and woodwinds soaring and twisting. The questioning tone at the end of the Bach seems to be explored further, so there are sections of dissonance here, as well as moments of triumphant certainty. It’s exciting to hear the full sound of an orchestra again in a proper indoor acoustic as good as this one!
Pekka Kuusisto has already come on the stage with Joana Carneiro at the beginning of the concert, and he emerges now from the orchestra in black sweatshirt. He is a mesmerising and characterful performer, immediately establishing his presence in the first movement in which he plays continuously for a long period in an exposed way, accompanied by small sections of the orchestra, sometimes woodwind or brass, sometimes lower strings. He then moves into an early cadenza, virtuosic in its scope, an exploration of the versatility of the instrument. The programme note explains how Sibelius was in the grip of alcoholism as he was writing this piece. Once an accomplished violinist, he had lost confidence in his ability to play the notes he was writing. The ending of the first movement has more work for the upper strings, as a delicate waltz theme is introduced. When at last Kuusisto gets a breather, he wanders round his patch between the conductor and the first violins, sometimes turning to watch the brass or woodwinds, sometimes exchanging smiles with the leader or the conductor. He remains intensely alert and interested in the whole performance of the piece.
The more conventional slow movement begins with the woodwinds laying out the theme, and the soloist playing over the strings. There’s some beautiful legato playing here, with the double bass players at one point hitting their strings percussively in time to the very quiet kettle drum accompaniment. The final movement is a rhythmical folk dance, with gypsy strains in the violin. Kuusisto stands as if playing in a cafe, his foot stamping. Even as the music swirls too fast for the dance he retains the sense of a beat, until with a final stamp, he and the orchestra come to a rest together. Social distancing or not, the applause is tumultuous. He says it was always great to play with this wonderful orchestra, but now it’s even better. His quiet encore is more dance music, a Swedish folk dance, gentle as though played on glass, he explains. I’ve missed Kuusisto’s previous appearances in Edinburgh but hope to see him here again.
An interval follows and a chance to take off the masks and chat outside with friends. We won’t be doing this at RSNO and SCO concerts. This concert is a little longer than some of theirs – it’s about 85 minutes, plus the encore, so it runs to nearly two hours with the interval, while they’re aiming for around an hour. But this is a better experience, I think.
Two C major pieces make up the second half. The brass, to the fore at many points in the violin concerto, have a starring role in Beethoven’s Leonora no 3 overture, when the off-stage trumpeter replicates that moment in Fidelio which heralds the arrival of the cavalry! The first call is made with the side doors closed, then they’re opened for the repeat. Beethoven’s tribute to freedom is as stirring as ever, and when the trumpeter comes on for his applause, he holds the trumpet aloft.
The Sibelius 7 which ends the programme also features brass. Sibelius’ one movement work uses trombones to punctuate the various sections of the piece. Their short stirring motif seems to ground the work after changes in pace and rhythm. The brass also contribute to the warm reassuring conclusion.
Joana Carneiro, so admirable in her conducting of Scottish Opera’s Nixon in China last year, has been a strong presence throughout the concert, both in her intelligent and interesting programming and her relaxed but decisive control on the podium.
Our online programme promises that the concert will be broadcast at a later date. The SSO’s Glasgow concert from Thursday can be heard already on BBC Sounds, although it features Lindberg’s Violin Concerto rather than Sibelius’s.
I’ll finish with a thought on social distancing. The SSO, like the RSNO and the SCO, have decided that until Christmas, at least, all their live concerts will be for socially distanced audiences. This is proving a good decision as Usher Hall Stalls and Circle seats have sold so well that the Upper Circle has been opened up for bookings. Meanwhile, the King’s and Festival Theatres, where non-distanced seats are on sale, are finding it hard to sell tickets, with most seats for Scottish Opera’s Gondoliers next month still available. Socially distanced “pods” are apparently available by phone booking in the Upper Circle only. According to Opera magazine, the reluctance of audiences to return to non-distanced performances is a Europe-wide problem. It’s a difficult financial choice for venue managers, and we are lucky that the funding is so far available for socially distanced options in Scotland’s concert halls. Today’s concert, with a confident enthusiastic audience of all ages supporting a world class orchestra, is evidence that this has been a sensible decision.
