This was a City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra concert of 20th-century self-reflective tension and respite emanating from turn-of-the-century Finland, wartime Warsaw and Stalin’s Soviet Union. In a very impressive performance, guest conductor Gemma New was able to fully explore the nuances of these themes with every emphatic sweep of her baton. It was certainly not a light-hearted matinee programme, but an engrossing and enlightening musical experience that presented three profound moments of artistic angst from the first half of the century. Furthermore, it was a performance delivered with interpretive character, passion and commitment by conductor, soloist and orchestra.
Grażyna Bacewicz’s Overture was written during the German occupation of her city in 1943, and in it we can hear the struggle of artistic endeavour in a time of overpowering events. The opening timpani introduces a sense of foreboding, which is followed by frenetic strings that relentlessly drive an unsettling energy. Against this tension, Bacewicz makes several ventures toward melody and lyricism, but the swelling perpetuum mobile ensures nothing sticks. New was able to maintain this narrative throughout the short piece until the abrupt conclusion, when the palpable sense of sinking back into one’s chair revealed just how well she had conveyed the antagonism.
The setting and struggle of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor was a more personal affair, often interpreted as a story of his internal struggles in Helsinki at the beginning of the century, not least with alcohol. Through the sumptuous tonal quality and highly interpretative phrasing of Christian Tetzlaff, we came to inhabit the ghost of Sibelius, and New led the CBSO in depictions of both the urban capital and the remote Finnish lake lands. Tetzlaff and New are both deft storytellers and this was a collaboration of soloist and composer where he was allowed the freedom to present a fullness of character while New provided the supportive mise en scène. It was also a collaboration full of stage presence and personality. Tetzlaff conveyed a sense of being in character, as actor as well as virtuosic musician, while New fully illustrated her musical vision.
From the tension of war and personal struggles, the programme shifted to the pressure of an artist’s struggle to breathe in a system of stifling repression with Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 5 in D minor. It is a symphony born from compromise and survival. It is also a symphony of contradiction – it is uncompromising and not only survives, but thrives. In that same spirit, there was absolutely no compromise in this performance, which was full of vitality. New was masterful in her interpretation, exploiting extremes of dynamics with remarkable attention to phrasing and balance. It is always exciting to hear a conductor bring forth fresh sensations from a familiar work; New has that stirring ability to bring out a full spectrum of colour from the orchestra. The CBSO responded to her energetic and strident baton with tangible enthusiasm and delivered an impeccable performance.
