An uplifting concert from Geoffrey Paterson and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Boccherini’s Ritirata notturna di Madrid was so successful in his lifetime that he made four versions of it for different chamber groupings. Its popularity is not surprising: it has a catchy tune over striking imitations of a drum by the strings. In 1975 arch-modernist Luciano Berio combined these four versions and turned them into a ten-minute piece for large orchestra (including side-drums) giving the impression of a procession starting far away, marching into the foreground and then receding into the distance. In 1976 the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra gave the UK premiere. Tonight, with conductor Geoffrey Paterson, they gave a bravura performance of this sunny, joyful piece. 

The crashing opening chord in Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms matched the psalmist’s cry of “Awake” and the Philharmonic Choir made “a joyful noise” indeed. They sang the demanding Hebrew text with conviction and the balance between singers and orchestra was just right. Agustin Pennino was the soloist in the peaceful central movement. The ethereal countertenor timbre of his voice convinced us that all would be well, especially after the brief spiky interruption in the middle. His stage presence (standing stock still when not singing) turned it into a mini-drama The third movement reinforced the feeling of peace and hope with beautiful singing and playing.

Star clarinettist Julian Bliss joined a reduced orchestra (strings, harp and piano) for Copland’s Clarinet Concerto which continued the peaceful mood of the Bernstein. In the contemplative first movement soloist and orchestra moved as one, without conflict. Bliss captivated the audience in the cadenza which links the two movements. The second movement was livelier and contained elements of jazz and Latin America although they did not dominate. Bliss’ expressive playing suggested that he was engaged in a conversation, sometimes with the orchestra and sometimes with the audience.

The second half of the concert took us to Finland, starting with Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus. This “concerto for birds and orchestra” began with two flutes playing an otherworldly theme which was then joined by a recording of birds, so seamlessly that it was had to notice where one ended and the other started. The composer collected recordings of birdsong in the far north of Finland for this work and they form a key feature, combining with the orchestra for the three movements and sounding on their own as links between the movements. Although the central movement is entitled “melancholy” it was hard to relate this music to human feeling. Rather it presented a view of the natural world to be admired and perhaps to feel part of. Paterson brought all the elements together in an unobtrusive way, ensuring that the music spoke for itself.

Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony started with a very brief pause after the Rautavaara and the woodwind solos at the beginning inevitably recalled the birdsong of what had gone before. There was some very intense string playing; Paterson ensured that the ebb and flow of the first movement felt totally natural. The ever-changing details of the second were clear but always contributed to the effect of the whole. Conductor and orchestra communicated the rigorous logic of the finale culminating in the famous “swan hymn” – Sibelius too was inspired by birds – and the extraordinary final chords to conclude an exceptionally uplifting concert.