Scottish Chamber Orchestra: ‘From Darkness to Light’
Queens Hall - 03/11/22
Tonight’s SCO concert is the first one in the Queen’s Hall since the summer, and even on a chilly November night, a good-sized audience is in place for an eclectic programme chosen by violinist Anthony Marwood. He will play in and direct all seven of the works, ranging from an early Haydn symphony (1761) to a five-minute comical piece written in 2001 by the avant-garde composer Raskatov, born in Moscow and now resident in Paris. The title of the concert is ‘From Darkness to Light’. Over forty players are listed, but the numbers onstage at any one time are from five to around thirty. We will have to stay alert!
The SCO have retained the hall format from last season – the orchestra plays on the floor of the hall, reducing visibility from the Stalls somewhat but giving them more room for some degree of distance and ease of moving instruments.
The programme begins with Charles Ives’ ‘The Unanswered Question’, a short piece for strings and winds written in 1908 but not given its first performance until 1946. Its subject is the meaning of the universe, and Ives constructed an esoteric explanation, which you can read in David Kettle’s excellent programme notes. The strings play throughout, slow-moving, darkly mysterious and insistent, and are interrupted by the trumpet which asks the discordant “question” and gets into competition with flutes. The meaning of life remains obscure. Perhaps Donald Rumsfeld’s “unknown unknowns” which probably make more sense to all of us after the last two years is as close an explanation as I need!
We move from dark profundity to lightness of touch in Raskatov’s ‘Five Minutes in the Life of W A Mozart’. Described by the composer as “not a nocturne” it is a gently subversive take on eighteenth century musical styles. It begins with a tinkle (on the harpsichord), then the reduced size orchestra plays a pleasant pastiche of a violin concerto. As the bowing movements and pizzicatos become more exaggerated, the violins behind Marwood play higher than him, and then screech discordantly. The double bass joins in the fun.
This gentle humour put us in the mood for the real thing, the witty early Haydn which follows. Symphony No 8 ‘Le Soir’ follows No 6 ‘Le Matin’ and No7 ‘Le Midi’, as the third piece he wrote for the Esterhazy family. This is authentic Haydn with harpsichord continuo, and similar forces to the mock-Mozart. Haydn looks back to the past at times, to the idea of a concerto grosso which highlighted a group of instruments rather than a soloist but he also gives opportunities for individual solos, the flute in the first movement, and cello and bassoon in the Andante. The Minuet is written for the upper strings, with the double bass getting a chance to show off in the Trio. The fourth movement ‘La Tempesta’ may represent the darkness that the symphony is moving towards, but this seems a jolly storm (a storm in a teacup maybe) which Kettle suggests is a last burst of light, a fireworks display before night descends.
Before the interval we have some Bruckner, an unlikely admirer of Haydn as Marwood points out. This is the Adagio from his String Quintet, his only piece of chamber music. Most of the orchestra has an extended interval while Marwood with another violin, two violas and a cello, remain on stage. The upper strings stand to play this slow piece, a lovely ensemble number. There’s gradual movement through the development of the two main themes, but no big solo moments or sudden changes in pace or volume. Marwood is supportive as leader, and the players’ energy goes into maintaining the legato. Balancing the restless Ives at the start of the concert, this piece provides some calm reassurance.
The second half moves towards the Kurt Weill Violin Concerto, the last of three early twentieth century works played in chronological order of composition. The darkness of the Great War links the Elgar and the Stravinsky. Elgar’s ‘Sospiro for harp and strings’ was premiered in 1914 and its solemn atmosphere evokes the foreboding of that summer. It provides a contrast with the Stravinsky and the Weill, but for me this was one quiet legato piece too many!
Stravinsky’s ‘The Soldier’s Tale’ was one of the SCO’s most memorable online performances during lockdown. The work, written at the end of the war, coincided with the world-wide Spanish Flu epidemic. This story conjures up the darkness of the devil, though the three short dances are an entertainment for the soldier’s beloved Princess, when he believes he has defeated his adversary. Written for seven solo instruments, the rhythmical Tango, Valse and Ragtime run into each other, all giving opportunities for quirky outbursts from individuals, sometimes weaving around the violin. Louise Lewis Goodwin excels on an impressive array of percussion here and in the Weill. The light-hearted cheerfulness is premature – the devil wins in the end!
Marwood explains that Weill’s concerto written in 1924 showed the young man’s rejection of an older more intricate tradition of orchestral playing in favour of the light and more modernist music for the theatre and voice with which he was later associated. It requires an unusual orchestra of solo violin, double basses, winds and percussion. Marwood, who has been playing almost continuously, has saved his most virtuosic performance until now, especially in the middle section of the second movement, entitled ‘Cadenza’ where he is joined by the trumpet. In the fast and furious Allegro molto of the last movement, we hear the full range of Marwood’s power as a solo violinist, and the music whirls to a close - to great cheers from the audience. Marwood hoped to highlight Weill’s youthful concerto and its spikiness and unusual harmonies have gone down a treat with the audience, judging from the comments on the way out. Marwood, a generous and thoughtful performer, has brought light into our November darkness!
