Austrian composer Berndt Richard Deutsch’s Phantasma was given its UK premiere by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Vasily Petrenko. Deutsch was inspired to compose this piece (first performed in Germany last year) by the seeing Gustav Klimt's 1902 Beethoven Frieze on the Secession Building in Vienna. This was Klimt’s rendition in art of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as viewed through Wagner’s concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk. I am glad I had found a very good video on YouTube showing the Frieze with an interpretation of its iconography. It really enhanced my appreciation of the music, which I might otherwise have found confusing. The key point seems to be that it represents a striving for joy (as in Schiller’s famous Ode) even if that striving might ultimately prove illusory.
Phantasma begins with what the composer calls “a kind of knocking signal in the claves over slow string chords” relating to the secret code visitors were required to use to access Klimt’s atelier; this was the first of many striking features in the work. Deutsch's imaginative use of large orchestra provides some atmospheric sounds, a musical equivalent of Klimt’s sumptuous use of colour. The dramatic centre of the work clearly relates to the struggle of the “genii” of the frieze to pass the monster Typhoeus and other hostile forces. Throughout there were delicate motifs and rich harmonies which drew the listener into the piece. The RLPO and Petrenko gave a committed performance and the composer, who was present, must have been delighted.
There was a change of soloist and programme for the second piece in the concert. Jennifer Johnston stepped in at short notice to replace an indisposed Adela Zaharia. Johnston is a Liverpudlian herself and is well-known to audiences at the Philharmonic Hall. On this occasion she gave a radiant account of Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. Her voice was rich and powerful, her enunciation exemplary. The four songs have an outdoor feel to them with many references to birds, flowers and trees. Petrenko and Johnston proved a fine partnership in depicting the sounds of nature including the singer’s representation of the birdcalls and the orchestra’s tinkling to portray the harebells. The single word “Sonnenschein” filled the hall radiantly. And yet, there is sadness behind the joy. The torment of the third song was forcefully expressed and the subtler resignation at the end of the fourth was represented exquisitely.
During his 15 years as Chief Conductor, Petrenko built up the RLPO's formidable reputation in big Russian symphonies (Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich) and I was keen to hear his performance of Scriabin’s Symphony no. 3 in C minor, “The Divine Poem”. It was written in the early years of the 20th century and took us back to the highly perfumed, intense world of Central European artistic activity in which Klimt was painting. From the opening grand gesture Petrenko took the audience on a journey through a series of majestic scenes. He elicited intense playing, spotlighted lively rhythms and allowed unexpected pauses to illuminate the music. The array of horns ranged above the orchestra looked and sounded magnificent. The ecstatic conclusion was thrilling. For all the strengths of this performance, however, Petrenko could not conceal the work's longueurs, meandering aimlessly. If only Scriabin had edited it a little!
