Swedish Philharmonia
Usher Hall - 19/03/23
Jaime Martin, conductor | Nemanja Radulovič, violin
The Sunday Classics series of concerts at the Usher Hall resumed on 19th March with a visit from the Swedish Philharmonia (a.k.a. the Gävle Symphony Orchestra), under the baton of Spaniard Jaime Martin and featuring virtuosic Serbian-French violinist Nemanja Radulovič. The concert was quite well-attended. There were no printed programmes available.
The concert opened with ‘A Merry Overture’ (1954) from the pen of witty but tragically short-lived Swede Bo Linde. Whimsically episodic and picaresque, the piece reminded me of the orchestral miniatures of Malcolm Arnold who, like Linde, had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. There were dance-like episodes of reel, tango and march, expertly orchestrated with some interesting effects on piccolo and percussion. A great concert-opener (and, these days, great to hear an actual overture!), it was very well received.
Even before playing a note, Nemanja Radulovič cuts a dash when he arrives on the stage. Lithe and bearded with long dark hair and close-fittingly clad, he had the immediate undivided attention of the entire audience, especially the female members thereof. Khachaturian’s 1940 Violin Concerto in D minor is a tour-de-force of the Armenian composer’s most exotic melodies and thrilling rhythms, shot through with dazzling bravura writing, originally written with Ukrainian virtuoso David Oistrakh in mind. Apart from flawless tone and articulation, Radulovič excels in dialogue with the orchestra, for which Khachaturian’s score provides ample opportunity, notably with solo horn and clarinet. The influence of Armenian folk music is ever-present, dancelike in the main theme of the first movement and the romping finale, soulful in the first movement’s secondary theme and the rhapsodic slow movement. The performance displayed the fullest partnership of soloist and orchestra, while Radulovič’s rich positive tone and Martin’s grasp of the score ensured a perfect dynamic balance throughout. The applause was rapturous and prolonged and earned an accompanied encore, a brief, rapid Eastern European dance that was unknown to me but thrilling, nonetheless.
As a symphonist, Finnish composer Sibelius left us 7 masterpieces, each radically different from the others, yet all feature a musical language tinged with rugged stoicism in the face of struggles, sometimes against internal demons, sometimes against a hostile environment, often both. Most deleterious to his art and foremost among his internal demons was Sibelius’ savage self-criticism which rendered him incapable of completing a large-scale piece unless he silenced those demons with the other demon, drink. His alcoholism nearly killed him, but what masterpieces we would have foregone without it! Nevertheless, he retired on a pension from the grateful Finnish government and his later years were spent sober, happy and contented, but without composing another note. In the Second Symphony (1902), the struggle is victorious and the triumph absolute, making it a firm favourite with audiences. That said, recent years have seen its popularity with programmers overtaken by the Fifth and it has been a few years since I have caught a live performance. I am therefore astounded to record that the Swedish Philharmonia’ s performance is the first of two within less than a week, the BBCSSO due to give it an outing on Thursday 23rd! Comparisons will be inevitable. For now, I can say that Martin and the Swedes got right under the skin of this magnificent music in a performance that was dramatic and very moving.
What a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon!