The second of Bernard Haitink and The Chamber Orchestra of Europe’s two concerts marking both Haitink’s 85th birthday and his 60th year as a conductor, programmed some remarkably virtuosic and exciting music. Haitink was greeted with loud cheers from the audience as he entered the stage, for what was to be a very special evening indeed.
Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin was composed as a tribute to François Couperin, the French Baroque composer, yet the music is far from Baroque sounding. The term “Tombeau” (grave or tomb) was one used by French Baroque composers to honour late colleagues, and Ravel wrote this piece in 1917 as both a tribute to Couperin and the French Baroque in general, but also to remember friends killed in World War One. The piece was originally written for piano, but four of the movements were orchestrated in 1919.
The Prélude, with its richly ornamented, almost swimming melody, was taken at a breakneck speed, but there was a sense of control and clarity throughout. The extensive oboe part was very impressively played with a wonderful sense of playfulness, and you could hear every note of the parts orchestrated for string orchestra. The Forlane, composed as a response to a papal decree that tango was immoral and that the Italian forlana should be danced instead, was wonderfully seductive, although I wished Haitink would draw even more of the inherent sexiness out of the harmony. The final Rigaudon was bursting with life, and featured yet more excellent playing from the winds.
Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major was composed between 1929 and 1931, and is one of many pieces written at the time in which early American jazz is viewed through the lens of a European composer. Soloist Jean-Yves Thibaudet gave an almost subdued performance, often making the piano part of the orchestral texture, only to re-emerge triumphantly, but never too loudly, moments later. Still, there was room for plenty of contrast. The extrovert, angular virtuosity of the first movement was replaced by an introvert delicateness in the second movement, although it was decidedly an unsentimental reading.
The entire performance was augmented by the truly fantastic playing of the COE winds, from the delightfully saxophone-like bassoons in the first movement and touching cor anglais playing of the second movement to the incredible sense of ensemble and general madness in the third and final movement. It was a true delight watching Thibaudet interact with the many wind soloists in the final movement. As an encore, Thibaudet played yet another Ravel piece, Pavane pour une infante défunte. The pared-down simplicity of the Pavane contrasted nicely to the breathtaking display of pianistic and orchestral virtuosity just moments prior.