“Did you get your hearing aid to work, Ian?” “I didn’t need it in the end!” Just one scrap of conversation overheard in the lobby of Cadogan Hall after last night’s Hungarian bonanza, which – and I’m inclined to agree with Ian – was not lacking in oomph. Alexander Shelley took command of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in this, the first in a three-part series of concerts entitled Seeking New Horizons, featuring a folksong-infused programme of Kodály and Bartók, plus a triumphant Liszt Piano Concerto no. 1 with BBC New Generation Artist Mariam Batsashvili.
Proceedings kicked off with Kodály’s Dances from Galánta. A nervous opening section gathered momentum as the RPO settled into the syncopated rhythms and high-kicking oompahs of the four Gypsy folksongs – each originating from the now-Slovakian town in which Kodály spent “seven happy years”. The work is his rambunctious tribute to a provincial Hungarian childhood, and under Shelley’s vigorous baton the RPO certainly captured some of Kodály’s nostalgia – the sweeping string tuttis in the first dance begat shivers – though some tardy entrances left one wishing more time had been spent on details.
Robert Schumann, on hearing the first performance of Liszt’s First Piano Concerto in 1855, marvelled at how the Hungarian gallant had “developed a new and brilliant way of welding the orchestra and piano together”. Liszt’s remarkable innovations were made new again under the deft touch of pianist Mariam Batsashvili, who played with such measured intensity and clarity as to make the great man proud.
The RPO matched Batsashvili’s potency note for note – each repetition of that wonderfully chromatic opening theme plowed enthusiastically into the front row. Special mention to clarinettist Thomas Verity who danced around the piano with a vital dose of serenity and elegance. Upon conclusion whoops and bravos echoed around the hall, and the young Batsashvili obliged the willing audience with a Paderewski encore that revealed a gentler side to her virtuosity.