In the blistering heat of a sold-out Royal Albert Hall, Thomas Gould and the Britten Sinfonia would need something special to make the temperature worth tolerating. They certainly didn’t disappoint.
They opened with Lera Auerbach’s Sogno di Stabat mater, Pergolesi reimagined as a concerto grosso for violin, viola, vibraphone and strings. After high solo string harmonics and an atmospheric vibraphone introduction, tutti strings slapped and slid violently, before strains of Pergolesi emerged, his duet recast for the solo strings, followed by a Jacques Loussier-esque take for vibraphone over pizzicato bass. The Britten Sinfonia strings gave their sinking lines intensity, and the solo strings riffed on Pergolesi’s suspensions, with sinister dark tutti throbbing gradually taking over. Whilst the solo strings had the most virtuosic roles, Clare Finnimore (viola) also had some great melodic material, and Owen Gunnell (vibraphone) provided unexpected and atmospheric contrast to the intensity of the fulsome strings.
Bright and energetic Corelli flowed straight into Tippett’s Fantasia concertante, thereby accentuating Tippett’s gradual stretching and unhinging of the Baroque. The solo violins in the Corelli (Gould joined by Miranda Dale) were shiny and bird-like, supported with warmth from Caroline Dearnley (cello), with rich chains of suspensions in the Adagio, and tight and lively string ensemble. Gould was almost rotating on the spot as soloist and conductor, and communication between him and the mostly standing players was palpable throughout, their gently swaying movements transmitting their enjoyment and commitment. Straight from Corelli’s dancing Allegro, they launched into Tippett’s muddied introduction and swimming Largo, stretching apart from Corelli’s defining chords. Again, communication was exemplary with no lapses in ensemble despite Tippett’s incredibly fiddly rhythmic figurations. The pastoral closing section, with its delicately entwined violin solo parts and warm swells from the strings had ethereal calmness, before building to a passionate conclusion with crazy outbursts from the soloists swirling around the intense tutti strings, Corelli being given the last word.
The recomposition theme reached its climax in Max Richter’s Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, receiving its Proms debut since its successful release over ten years ago (with the Britten Sinfonia performing its concert debut in 2012). Richter takes the bold approach of contrasting movements in which most of Vivaldi’s music remains relatively intact with others where he uses one small idea as the kernel of something very new. Gould’s virtuosity throughout was impressive, and he shifted well from the showier passages, such as the icy cascades of Winter 1, into searing laments, as in the latter part of Summer 1. In the hall he was a little drowned out by the end of this particular section, but this was really the only place where balance suffered.
Elsewhere, Gould and his players were constantly alert to their corporate roles, producing some of the finest ensemble playing heard in a long time. There were also some minimal stage effects, such as an animated backstrip for the changing seasons, and dappled lighting out in the hall, which subtly enhanced, rather than intruded into, their fine performance; falling leaves for the minimalist gem Autumn 3 was a touching detail. The whole orchestra playing off uniform iPads also allowed for some sudden lighting drops adding further dramatic effect.
Shine You No More, by Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (of the Danish String Quartet), here arranged for orchestra, with its folky jig, pizzicato bounce and jamming section for Gould and Sascha Bota (viola), was a perfect joyful showstopper to respond to the well-deserved standing ovation. Once again, the criminally underfunded Britten Sinfonia (are you listening, ACE?) demonstrated inventiveness and frankly stunning performance commitment, giving other orchestral outfits much to envy.
