Stream: RSNO - Polska Scotland
This concert, first streamed on 14th May, was the first I have seen recorded in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, largely empty but surely pointing us forward to a semblance of normality. It was given under the auspices of Polska Scotland, and featured works by Polish and Czech composers, conducted by the young Polish conductor, Marta Gardolińska. She has come to our attention, having conducted the EIF Fireworks Concert in 2019, and having had a very successful spell as Young Conductor in Association with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. I was delighted to see that this autumn she takes up the position of Musical Director of the Opéra National de Lorraine in Nancy. I sang twice in Nancy, with the same opera company, in ‘Manon Lescaut’ and ‘Falstaff’, and loved the city, in particular the Place Stanislas, on which the opera house stands. There is something splendidly apposite about the fact that a young Polish conductor will take over opera in the city which was so magnificently designed and built by Duke Stanislas of Lorraine, the former King of Poland!
The concert began with the Little Suite by Witold Lutosɬawski, originally written for chamber orchestra in 1950 and expanded for symphony orchestra in 1951. It was the larger version we heard in the Concert Hall, and I must say it was great to see the RSNO in all its glory on the stage of their home venue.
The Little Suite was based on Polish folk melodies and it came over as a very pleasant piece, full of Slavonic charm, with many opportunities for solo instruments to shine. We heard exceptional solos from piccolo, clarinet, flute and oboe, and there were also several passages of rhythmic thrust, reminiscent of Stravinsky. Ms Gardolińska proved to be a fine conductor with a reassuringly clear beat, and she established a good rapport with the orchestra. Female conductors are a much more common sight these days, and, of course, there is no reason to doubt that they can be as good if not better than their male counterparts. Fortunately, the bad old days of all male orchestras (for decades, until moderately recently, great orchestras like the Vienna Philharmonic and the LSO were exclusively male), which made problems for women conductors, are long gone. I have often worked with women conductors over the years, and now there is, as far as I can see, no obvious discrimination against them. We have been fortunate in the opera world that virtually all casts have both men and women as a matter of course, and so I have never experienced any suggestion of bias or graded fee scales.
The Little Suite was a very good warm up piece to the main work in the programme, Dvořák’s 7th Symphony, which was premiered, surprisingly, in the St James’s Hall in London, off Piccadilly, with the composer conducting. It is recognised as one of his most important works, a work of international stature.
It came as a shock to me to discover that I had never heard this symphony before, and indeed, to find that I am ignorant of all Dvořák’s symphonies, apart from the New World Symphony, his ninth. Similarly, I have never sung any of his operas or choral works, although I started to learn his Requiem years ago, only for the concert to be cancelled. There is no reason I can see for this omission, as I have enjoyed all the works I have heard, and this symphony was no exception.
It starts rather mysteriously, and the first movement develops splendidly, with many instrumental solos, into a big crescendo, rising to a mighty climax and then gently subsiding to a quiet ending. This was yet again an opportunity to observe the RSNO principals showing how good they are, and how it has developed into a fine orchestra of international quality. It is certainly international in its members, judging from the many interviews we have seen with various players throughout this digital season, and it would be fascinating to know how many different countries are represented within its ranks. The general sound is very homogenous, with a sweet string section and notable playing from brass and woodwind, along with a fiery contribution from percussion.
The second movement of the 7th Symphony is marked Poco Adagio and is a beautiful example of an expressive slow movement, full of deep emotion. A Slavonic melancholy pervades the music, not overtly folk-like, but with that eastern European suggestion of grey skies rather than bright sunshine. There was lovely playing, particularly from the clarinets and horns, and Ms Gardolińska exhibited a control and understanding of the music which was very impressive. She has a very good, clear stick technique, which always shows us what she wants the music to say.
The Scherzo was described by her, in interview, as perhaps darker than it appears, but it sounded pleasant enough to me, and then the Finale was upon us, marked Allegro.
Dvořák was keen to explain that this symphony, and particularly this movement, reflected the Czech people’s stubborn resistance to political oppressors, and certainly the music has a martial feel to it, with strong brass playing. A brief sunny episode leads on to the exciting and stirring ending, and we emerged energised and satisfied by a fine performance. I was again impressed by Ms Gardolińska’s control of tempi and colours, and I hope we will see her back in Scotland soon.
Available to stream on the RSNO website.
