Blind listening would rid a good many people of their prejudices and reservations. Is there such a thing as identifiable Black music or any justification for dissing pieces as being merely “light”? Leonard Bernstein for one was clear that there is no difference between serious and light music, only between good and bad. In this diversionary programme given by the Chineke! Orchestra, conducted by Anthony Parnther, there was many an instance in which categorisation as such mattered far less than the huge level of enjoyment.
Valerie Coleman’s Seven O’Clock Shout, a Philadelphia Orchestra commission, owes its origins to the Covid pandemic and the need to remember loss while celebrating survival during times of adversity. Listening to the long string cantilenas of this piece with its gossamer-like textures I was often reminded of Verdi; at its climax with shouting and clapping from orchestral members the theatrical associations became even more potent.
Some of the most heartwarming pieces have been written for string orchestra, with major composers well represented. Coleridge-Taylor’s Four Novelletten, doubtlessly inspired by the long Romantic tradition stretching back to Schumann, was receiving its first Prom outing. One wonders why. In its cotillion sweep and melodic inventiveness it constantly beguiles the ear. Elgar and Grieg came less to mind than the many string-based works written by Victor Herbert, though it would be unfair to suggest that any of the ideas, such as the additional colour provided by triangle and tambourine, are derivative. Coleridge-Taylor’s four miniatures are quite exquisitely crafted and can easily evoke the elegance of a Parisian salon or Viennese ballroom. Their individual ductus was well characterised by Parnther, including an especially fine Valse full of bittersweet moments.
For all the symphonies, string quartets and piano sonatas which he wrote, the paucity of concertos in Haydn’s output is surprising. His Trumpet Concerto in E flat major is the most popular of the 17 known works, many of which have been lost. In this Aaron Azunda Akugbo served up a flute of sparkling champagne, the effervescent brilliance of his playing radiating through the outer movements, with stylish ornamentation in his own cadenza and elsewhere too. His capacity for capturing a spirit of inwardness was on show not only in the central Andante, but also in the meditative beauty of his encore, an arrangement of Florence Price’s Adoration, in which he was joined by Chineke!’s front-desk strings.
The Rondo from Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s Sinfonietta no. 1 opened the second half. It is marked Allegro furioso: at its start I think Parnther could have made rather more of its associations with a seething cauldron, despite the lines being kept admirably taut and clean.
The weight and warmth of Chineke!’s strings was a recurring feature of the first half. It is arguably this ensemble’s greatest strength. Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony gave the full orchestra an opportunity to shine. Parnther was completely inside the score and conducted from memory, though I was disappointed that he eschewed antiphonal violins, for in the slow movement such contrasts yield especially marked results. The introductory Adagio was suitably hushed and full of portent before lift-off was achieved in the main Allegro vivace section. Additional rhythmic drive came from the excellent timpani throughout. Though the strings frequently have to project the momentum in this work with repeated scurrying and scooting, while taking due account of the many passages of dolce writing, there also has to be a contrasting glitter from the woodwind. Chineke!’s wind players remained somewhat reticent, both individually and as a section. But the earlier glories of the evening in the string playing carried through very convincingly.
