Ukrainian conductor Natalia Ponomarchuk made her debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in “Family Ties – The Schumanns and the Mendelssohns”, at the QEH in London on Friday, swiftly followed by this performance in Brighton’s Dome: four works, one each by Fanny, Clara, Robert and Felix. Ponomarchuk escaped from Kyiv in March 2022, following the Russian invasion, and now lives in London, forging strong links with the LPO, although she returns regularly to Kyiv to conduct the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra.
The Overture in C major is one of the few larger scale compositions by Fanny Hensel, née Mendelssohn, and her only purely orchestral work, published posthumously. The LPO's violins responded to the horn’s quiet opening with lyricism, although their pick-up following the introduction was a little imprecise. Timing across the stage from the first violins over to the cellos and basses was not always spot on, and despite some nimble work from the woodwinds, there was a sense of things never really quite getting going.
Clara Schumann’s spirited Piano Concerto in A minor promised more spark, and Alexander Melnikov’s emphatic entry following the stately opening definitely raised the energy level. His scurrying dance then bounced along nicely, with the orchestra largely reduced to an accompanying role, with occasional flashes of woodwind colour. Melnikov was most at home in the lyrically rhapsodic slow movement, joined by guest principal cellist, Waynne Kwon, beautifully complementing Melnikov’s lyricism with warmth and depth. The finale however felt somewhat stuck, taken at a notch under tempo and lacking the dance energy that was there in the opening movement.
Robert Schumann’s Introduction and Allegro was another opportunity for Melnikov to shine in the more improvisatory first section, but once the urgent woodwind interjections had built up the intensity into the Allegro, once again, it felt there was something missing. Melnikov’s chromatic scales swirled and the orchestra surged appropriately in response. He was assured in the delicate intricate passagework, but occasionally, in the more bombastic moments, attention to detail was surprisingly matter of fact, with more than a few imprecisions creeping in.
This was a weighty first half, but somehow it just didn’t quite feel like their heart was in it. None of these pieces could be said to sparkle with joy, but the orchestral players might have displayed a little more enjoyment. Thankfully, Felix Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony raised collective spirits. On perhaps more secure territory, immediately there was greater urgency from the violins in the introduction’s ‘Holyrood’ theme. Ponomarchuk brought out the darker passions in the development section, and then jumped straight into the bubbling Scherzo. Here the LPO winds came into their own, with a flowing clarinet opening and fizzing articulation from them all, complemented well by the joyful string filigree passages.
Ponomarchuk has an idiosyncratic conducting style, full of stabbing gestures and a somewhat off-kilter gait at times, with a rather distractingly wayward left hand. There’s no denying the energy and expression in her conducting, although greater clarity of beat at changes of tempo might have avoided the occasional untidy join. Case in point, the first violin leads into the third movement’s lyrical theme was a little messy, with minimal beat for them to follow. However, once at full pelt, Ponomarchuk elicited rich and expressive drama. The finale had immediate attack, and the fugal sections here were tight. Clarinet and bassoon gave a delightfully expressive duet, and then the transformed ‘Holyrood’ delivered stately grandeur, with glorious horns to finish.
