Strong performances of Shostakovich Symphonies 12 & 15 from John Storgårds & the BBC Philharmonic

John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic return to their Shostakovich with a double - the 12th and 15th Symphonies. Although not dissimilar in length at around 40 and 45 minutes respectively, making this very generous for a single disc release, they couldn’t be more different in character. The Symphony No. 12, Op. 112, ‘The Year 1917’ is, it’s fair to say, one of Shostakovich’s least popular, for various reasons. It certainly suffered from being seen on paper as overtly and simplistically celebratory of the Soviet regime, with a programme for its four movements including Revolutionary Petrograd, Razliv (Lenin’s country retreat), Aurora (the battleship that launched the salvo attack on the Winter Palace), and ending with ‘The Dawn of Humanity’, a celebration of the new world that the Revolution supposedly brought in. But was it about towing the party line, as he and his work was going through some kind of rehabilitation by the Communist regime, and he also finally agreed to join the party? Or, as ever with Shostakovich, is there a more subversive reading, with its quote from nationalist Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen in Tuonela in the midst of Razliv (Razliv is in Finland), and its meandering questioning both in this movement, but also in the midst of the supposedly defiant final movement? Storgårds takes a relatively straightforward approach here, neither over-emphasising the bombastic, triumphant elements, nor digging too deeply into the darker moments. As a result, this is a performance that leaves us to decide on its merit. The BBC Philharmonic’s playing is tight and precise, with some particularly deft work from the woodwind in the opening movement, especially the bassoons. Rattling drums at the first movement’s climax, and gunfire percussion in the Scherzo add bite, and the brass statement in the finale avoids being overblown, yet has clear strength. A fine performance of a symphony that is ultimately harder to admire than others. Turning to Symphony No. 15, Op. 141, from around ten years later, and his final symphony, we are in such different territory. There is greater invention here, with use of twelve tone motifs as well as constant quotes and references, not least Wagner, Glinka, and even direct use of the them from Rossini’s William Tell Overture. Given the fact that Shostakovich’s health was pretty poor by this stage, having had one heart attack, and soon to suffer a second shortly after completing this work, it is surprisingly upbeat, particularly the ‘toyshop’ opening movement, with its playful William Tell quotes, extensive use of percussion and the high wire circus act solo violin part (played here with caustic precision by BBC Philharmonic leader, Yuri Torchinsky). Storgårds handles this with a deft touch, particularly the squabbling polymetric woodwind passages towards the end of the movement. In the slow movement however there is real agony, with the cello solo plaintive and fragmentary, and then the mournful trombone solo to follow (sadly both soloists uncredited here). But following the mocking scherzo, the finale, despite a mournful brass opening with ominous timpani, soon skips along gently, with those Wagner and Glinka allusions, before the Passacaglia bassline is introduced by the cellos and double basses. Around this the scrabbling intensifies, swirling up to a climax, from which Shostakovich then remarkably descends into a gentle dance and a quiet end from celesta and percussion. As in the 12th, Storgårds steers us through without ever over-stating detail, but here the performance comes alive through the sheer invention and contrast of material that Shostakovich has on offer. It is this clarity of rendition of these two symphonies side by side that highlight the complexity of deciphering the ‘true’ voice of the composer.

Shostakovich, D. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 12 ‘The Year 1917’ - Symphony No. 15. BBC Philharmonic, John Storgårds. Hybrid Super Audio Compact Disc. Chandos CHSA 5334.

Prom 33: Sumptuous song and assured Rachmaninov from Connolly, Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic

Dame Sarah Connolly & the BBC Philharmonic
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano)

BBC Philharmonic

John Storgårds (conductor)

7pm, Wednesday 9 August, 2023

BBC Prom 33

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826): Oberon, Overture

 

Dora Pejačević (1885-1923):   Zwei Schmetterlingslieder, Op. 52

                                                I. Gold’ne Sterne, blaue Glöckchen

                                                II. Schwebe, du Schmetterling

                                                Verwandlung, Op. 37b

                                                Liebeslied

 

Alma Mahler-Werfel (1879-1964), orch. Colin & David Matthews:

                                                Five Lieder No. 1, Die stille Stadt

                                                Four Lieder No. 1, Licht in der Nacht

                                                Five Lieder No. 4, Bei dir ist es traut

 

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943): Symphony No. 1 in D minor

John Storgårds conducting the BBC Philharmonic
© BBC/Chris Christodoulou

Weber:

'Storgårds drove the gallop with great energy, with some particularly fleet-of-foot work from the violins'.

Pejačević:

'Connolly’s warm tone was matched well with an agile touch from the orchestra'.

Mahler-Werfel:

'In the mysterious Die stille Stadt, Connolly shaped the melodic line with strong dramatic interest, and delivered the strangely angular Licht in der Nacht with ominous darkness, exploiting her depth of range on the very low 'Nacht''.

Rachmaninov:

'Storgårds managed the first movement’s frequent tempo transitions coherently, with oceanic waves of string arpeggios and a deft accelerando to finish'. 

'Storgårds drove on with the offbeat rhythms, building to a blistering pace for the conclusion, with tam-tam and timpani adding the final element of drama'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Prom 26: Lyrical virtuosity from Ehnes, with majestic Sibelius from Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic

John Storgårds & the BBC Philharmonic
© BBC/Mark Allan

James Ehnes (violin)
BBC Philharmonic
John Storgårds (conductor)

7.30pm, Thursday 3 August 2023

BBC Prom 26

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Gerald Barry (b.1952): Kafka's Earplugs

William Walton (1902-1983): Violin Concerto

Encore:

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Sonata No. 3 for solo violin in C major, BWV1005, IV. Allegro assai

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957): Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39

James Ehnes & the BBC Philharmonic
© BBC/Mark Allan

Barry:

'Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic managed to effectively keep a lid on things throughout, yet occasionally allowing tantalising glimpses to break through the texture'.

Walton:

'Ehnes was suitably wild in its virtuosic passages, but he also gave us delicate decorative adornments to the horn’s canzonetta theme'.

Bach: 

'Ehnes then treated us to a fleet-of-foot account of the finale to J.S. Bach’s Sonata no. 3 in C major, BWV 1005, with seamlessly smooth string crossing and sensitive use of echo effects'.

Sibelius:

'With a sense of urgency, Storgård steered the orchestra to a sunlit climax'.

'Storgårds’ drive and the tightness of the BBC Philharmonic’s ensemble, as well as strong solo work from many, made for a memorable performance here'. 

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

CD Reviews April 2016

Clarinettist Emma Johnson was joined by friends for a performance of Schubert’s wonderful Octet in F major, D803 back in October 2014 in Southampton, and a recording of that live performance has just been released.  Johnson is joined by the Carducci Quartet, Chris West (double bass), Philip Gibbon (bassoon) and Michael Thompson (horn).  The Octet is one of Schubert’s most popular chamber works, and rightly so, with so much invention and variety packed into its six movements.  It contains real joy and humour, such as in the variations of the fourth movement and the boisterous finale.  Yet there are also some typically Schubertian sublime moments, particularly in the slow second movement, with its beautiful opening clarinet tune, accompanied by just the lower strings, until the first violin, and then later the bassoon joins in with the tune.  This is a highly engaging performance, with delicacy and lightness of touch from all players.  The tempi are relaxed – a little more pace in the scherzo third movement would have added more energy – but not indulgent.  There is deft articulation throughout, particularly from the clarinet and bassoon in that slow movement.  Emma Johnson, joined by Gibbon & Thompson rounds off the disc with a short Concert Trio for clarinet, bassoon and horn by Swedish contemporary of Schubert, Bernhard Crusell (1775-1838).  This can hardly match the Schubert, and feels a little bit of a let down following the Octet (it might have been better placed as an appetiser on the disc), but it is an enjoyable concert piece, and in its four short movements it gives each instrument the opportunity to shine. There is some beautifully smooth playing from Thompson on the horn here, and Gibbon tackles some complex accompanying passages for the bassoon with ease. Overall, the clarinet takes centre stage most of all – Crusell was an accomplished clarinettist after all. A true mark of a live recording is that it makes you wish you’d been there, and Johnson and her friends certainly achieve that here.

Various. 2016. Emma Johnson & Friends - Schubert Octet D803, Crucell Concert Trio. Emma Johnson, Michael Thompson, Philip Gibbon, The Carducci Quartet, Chris West. Compact Disc. Somm Céleste Series SOMMCD 0156.

It’s five years now since I reviewed a disc of orchestral works by French composer Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937).  More recordings (though sadly few concert performances) of his works have appeared since then, but it’s great to see the same forces from that last recording – the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Juanjo Mena, and pianist Jean-Efllam Bavouzet – reunited for more.  Interestingly, the disc is split into three sections in effect – first come two purely orchestral works, then three works for piano and orchestra, and then the disc is topped off with two solo piano works. The orchestral works which open are the latest and weightest offerings.  The three movement Paysages franciscains, Op.43 is an atmostpheric and contemplative impression of a convent garden and the plain of Assisi, with nature and peaceful evening moods abounding. The emergence of a plainsong hymn from the mist in the final movement is particularly striking.  The second orchestral work, Les Cathédrales, is more sombre in mood, written in 1915 and evoking a French soldier in the trenches contemplating the devastated landscape and the endless days and endless mourning ahead of him. Whilst the work perhaps lacks overall direction, the twisted fragments of the Marseillaise, the growing urgency and the poignant quiet ending with tolling bell and bass drum are highly affecting. Mena and the BBC Philharmonic are on particularly impressive form in these two works, with precision and sensitive expression from all sections.  Jean-Efflam Bavouzet takes great delight in the Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 25 which breaks the sombre mood with its opening flourish.  Thicker, more expansive orchestral textures take hold, but are interrupted by the swirling balletic waltz each time it returns. The Poème symphonique, Op. 37 has definite influences of Franck, with its simple chordal piano chorale, and the long drawn out melodic lines.  A final fanfare heralds the closing piano flourishes. The dramatic piano opening of the Fantaisie-Ballet, Op. 6, for which no known scenario exists, is contrasted by a quirky central section introduced by the woodwind, and the dialogue between piano and orchestra is more conversational here. The episodic nature of the music builds to a lively finish, and a sudden emphatic conclusion.  These are enjoyable concert works, but without the hints of profundity that the later orchestral works suggest. A delicately subtle Nocturne with touches of Fauré, and a Lisztian tour de force Étude de concert round of this enjoyable disc. Bavouzet is a great advocate for Pierné’s piano music, but on this occasion it is the BBC Philharmonic and Mena who deserve the greatest praise.

Pierné, G. 2015. Orchestral Works, Vol. 2. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, BBC Philharmonic, Juanjo Mena. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 10871.

There’s not enough space here to go into great detail about the Complete Symphonies of Carl Nielsen (1865-1931), again with the BBC Philharmonic, this time with Finnish conductor John Storgårds. Suffice to say, this is an impressive cycle, showing Storgårds' command of all six symphonies, and once again demonstrating that the BBC Philharmonic are on great form.  The BBC Philharmonic, along with the Hallé of course, were my first exposure to the joys of orchestral music, growing up in Manchester, and in my mind they are often the best of the BBC orchestral stable.  Storgård’s tempi are steady on the whole, but particularly effective in the third symphony, ‘Sinfonia expansiva’, and the defiant and most often performed fourth, ‘The Inextinguishable’.  Nielsen’s use of percussion as a threatening force, here and also to devastating effect in the Symphony No. 5, is visceral, and Storgårds encourages real aggression from the BBC Phil percussion players. If you don’t know Nielsen’s symphonies, you should, and this collection is the perfect place to start.

Nielsen, C. 2015. Complete Symphonies. BBC Philharmonic, John Storgårds. Compact Discs (3). Chandos CHAN 10859(3).

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, April 2016)