Alena Baeva dazzles in Barber's Violin Concerto

This Hallé concert on an American theme began a little unconventionally with a quiet, reflective piece, one that depicts an aspect of American culture which is not very well known in Europe. This was Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite. A rural, religious community is evoked in atmospheric music which draws on traditional music of the Appalachian Mountains and at its climax presents variations on the Shaker hymn tune Simple Gifts, known in the UK as Lord of the Dance. Polish conductor Marta Gardolińska brought out the calm, slow opening which set the scene for what was to follow. She then made much of the quirky melodies that followed. Copland’s subtle use of piano and percussion in the orchestra created a distinctive, sometimes brittle, sound. After the intensity of the Simple Gifts section we returned to the calm, dignified mood of the opening.

The orchestra was joined by Alena Baeva for Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto, and she gave a magnificent performance. The concerto is lush and lyrical, more traditional than Copland (Appalachian Spring was written just a few years after Barber’s concerto) but very distinctive. Barber generously gives the soloist a glorious heartfelt melody right at the start and Baeva took the lead with it. Her sweet, expressive tone was captivating throughout, not that the orchestra’s contribution was insignificant. Barber gives it some startling outbursts but makes sure that it never overwhelms the soloist. 

Baeva could often be seen watching the orchestra carefully and there was evidently a strong rapport. The second movement begins with an intensely beautiful melody for strings and oboe (fine playing from Stéphane Rancourt). Baeva then took us in a different direction until, after an impassioned solo, she returned with the opening material. In contrast with the predominantly lyrical first two movements, the finale is a fast and furious moto perpetuo. Baeva dazzled with her virtuosity as if releasing the tension that had built up in the previous movements. Utterly exhilarating!

The second half of the concert was, perhaps predictably, Dvořák’s New World Symphony. Some commentators claim that his Seventh and Eighth Symphonies are superior, but it is the Ninth that has captured the imagination of the music-loving public and has never lost its prime place in the repertoire. Its glorious melodies and sense of the composer’s longing for his homeland never fail to captivate. The players of the Hallé have no doubt played this symphony hundreds of times and there is a risk that yet another performance could become routine. However, in Gardolińska’s hands the opening bars were quite magical. She got the tension inherent in the first movement just right, making the most of the brief pauses and balancing the dramatic and folk-like elements. The second movement was less successful, surprisingly slow. We got to savour Thomas Davey’s exquisite cor anglais solo, but the movement was in danger of dragging. Movement was restored in the Scherzo and the stirring finale really was con fuoco.