Edward Gardner is certainly thinking big with the London Philharmonic Orchestra this season. Next week is the Symphonie fantastique, and their season ends with Mahler 8. Tonight it was Strauss’ turn, An Alpine Symphony, along with the great warhorse, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor.
Cuban-born American composer Tania León is in her second season as the LPO’s Composer-in-Residence, and at this concert her Pasajes (Passages) received its European premiere. Its four short sections represent scenes from León’s upbringing, starting with simple strings evoking a nostalgic landscape. Birdsong enters, led by a high clarinet, and fellow fluttering woodwinds follow. The rhythms become increasingly complex and busy, and build to a final section (following an extended timpani solo, complete with pedal glissandi) portraying Carnaval preparations. The atmosphere is suitably chaotic, yet it all comes to a somewhat abrupt end. Gardner and the LPO gave a precise and energetic performance, with convincing confidence in its challenging rhythms.
Visa issues prevented pianist Alexandra Dovgan from performing tonight, with Steven Osborne stepping in at short notice. No change in repertoire, and we were certainly in safe hands, with Osborne delivering an effortlessly commanding performance of the Grieg. From an opening weighty flourish, Osborne almost bounding off the piano stool, into a light-touch, skittish opening theme, through to the expressive, rhapsodic cadenza, the opening movement sailed by beautifully, with rich cellos and a softly secure horn solo along the way. The muted strings in the second movement had subtle warmth, with Osborne entering with feathery tenderness. The finale had joyful bounce, and it was great to see Gardner, Osborne and the players clearly enjoying themselves. In keeping with his understated approach, Osborne then gave us a tender arrangement of The Londonderry Air as an encore, with no showy virtuosity, just jazz-infused expression and warmth.
Requiring a huge orchestra, including wind and thunder machines, cowbells, heckelphone (the cor anglais’ grandfather) and Wagner tubas, Strauss’ Alpine Symphony is nevertheless not just an overblown romp, but a triumph of expressive orchestration. Apologies for the cliché, but for once it’s true – any performance needs to take us on an alpine journey, with constant direction and forward momentum. From the atmospheric opening, the falling minor string scale prefiguring the glorious major sunrise theme, Gardner had the LPO on a tight leash. He never let up throughout the symphony’s single movement, that momentum achieved by never languishing in the big moments, and making the transitions as tight as possible. The strings were luscious throughout, and the brass showed us range – yes, they can play cinematically loud, but they also gave us hymnal reverence and soft-toned darkness at sunset and descent into night, and the 13-piece offstage band delivered perfect clarity from afar.
From the woodwinds, there was nimble bassoon articulation, as well as an assured oboe solo at the summit. Strauss is never afraid to use the harsher upper reaches of the woodwinds to add drama and extremes of colour, and they did not hold back, the shrill clarinets cutting through, following the rattling cowbells, as we headed towards the top. At the summit, the Vision section is tricky, with harmonic stability stretched to its limit, and it’s easy to lose one’s footing. But Gardner kept his nerve, pushing onwards towards the storm. The storm was suitably wild, with a mad climax, but once again, Gardner kept a steely control, within which the players could really let rip. And let rip they did. This was a majestic performance, and a glorious conclusion to another fine outing from the LPO, Gardner continuing to impressively raise their game.
