Through the looking glass: Amsterdam Sinfonietta are a class act at the Muziekgebouw

Spiegel im Spiegel, a joint production between the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Nederlands Kamerkoor referencing the minimalist world of Arvo Pärt, was a bold and highly attractive concept. Juxtaposing Baltic and English choral and string music in a constantly changing line-up, gave the audience the opportunity to look at this varied repertoire with fresh eyes. Clever production and lighting allowed the music to continue seamlessly, almost like a stream of consciousness.

Emerging out of the darkness, the evening opened with cellist Tim Posner’s reading of Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel; a work we would hear again at the end of the concert. This was a measured and deliberate performance, fluctuating from pale, almost ethereal sounds, to a hypnotic richness in this never-ending world of stepwise movement.

Moving swiftly on, the beautiful opening of Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis created a wonderfully silky sound, a truly British sound world which immediately transported us to the British countryside. The second orchestra, standing behind and serving as a most effective echo, cleverly created a resonance more akin to the vastness of Gloucester Cathedral where the work was premiered in 1910. Never abrasive, always caressing and coaxing, the musicians (augmented by ten students from the Amsterdam Conservatoire) looked like they were having fun. Tight ensemble and discipline were the order of the day. The Sinfonietta, under the leadership of Candida Thompson, more than deserve their reputation as one of the finest string orchestras on the circuit today.

And so to the chilling primal cries against the evil of war found in Curse Upon Iron by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis. Entering the stage with a solitary and lonesome drumbeat given by their conductor, Martina Batič, the Nederlands Kamerkoor took us to a world of Gregorian Chant. Resonant and incredibly low, repetitive bass notes abounded. This was a war cry in the very literal sense. But more was required, especially from the sopranos and altos who at times failed to cut through the texture and were literally beaten into submission by the lone drumbeat, now provided by a most theatrical Thompson.

This was also the case in Lepo Sumera's Concerto per voci e strumenti. It was all was very nice, but the work demanded more emotional and dynamic range especially in the opening Furioso. I wanted to be challenged and craved more percussive diction from the excess of consonants in the text. Similarly in the Tallis Psalms, diction was an issue and I struggled to understand any of the English text. The choir were just too nice and did not equal the musicianship of the Amsterdam Sinfonietta.

In contrast, Vasks’ Plainscapes, for violin, cello and choir, a work with just five words in the text, was not only a clever programming choice, but most attractive. The cello’s stepwise melody juxtaposing against a constantly moving violin, saw echoes of Spiegel im Spiegel. Crystal clean string harmonies from Thompson and Posner built to a wonderful crescendo before an interruption from both recorded and live vocal recreations of birdsong. This was not the birdsong of a Dutch wood, instead a very lively, noisy and diverse Latvian forest.

The evening concluded with the interpretation we had all been waiting for – Thompson’s performance of Spiegel im Spiegel, which was very special: understated beauty, immaculate phrasing, and restrained emotion. The stage was in total darkness apart from a single spot over the piano and violin. No one coughed. No one moved. Time really did stand still as Thompson and Hülya Keser threaded their way through this seemingly simple score. Pure class! Pärt achieved his dream.