A generous evening of heavyweight works with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Fabien Gabel kicked off with a detailed performance of Ravel’s La Valse. Now one of the composer’s most popular works, perhaps overtaking Boléro in the concert hall, it nevertheless remains a tricky piece to bring off. The problem is the gradation of the climaxes that should build up to the eventual apocalyptic surge. If this is underplayed the dramatic point of the piece is missed, if it is pushed too hard, the final pages can be an anti-climax. Gabel steered a sure path, with the unctuous quality of the strings particularly effective. Only in the very last dash to the finishing post did he push the tempo too hard, jarringly moving up a gear, which added to the excitement but seeming slightly artificial.
No qualms about the orchestral contribution to the Violin Concerto no. 1 in A minor by Shostakovich that followed. Responsive, pliable and accurate, it provided the ideal platform for the soloist, James Ehnes, to build his interpretation of a very demanding, virtuosic score. As well as getting round the notes, the soloist has to achieve a remarkable level of intensity. Ehnes certainly had all the technical equipment to master all the challenges Shostakovich could throw at him and in the slow Nocturne first movement, he seemed to have the measure of the works particular strength of feeling. However in the Scherzo that followed he seemed to lack the last ounce of devilry. This is a wild and cynical movement, with a bitterness barely concealed behind bouncy rhythms, which here sounded tidied up rather than embraced by the soloist. This impression was confirmed in the Burlesque finale which was note perfect but still somehow less than ideal in tone.