Carlos Kleiber once said that conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker in Beethoven’s Coriolan was like driving into a wall at 60 miles per hour in a Rolls-Royce. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra might not quite be on that level of luxury vehicle, but there was a definite touch of the sports car to their performance in this concert, something lithe and smooth, with natural brass and timps giving an extra edge of hunger to the sound. Those famous opening tutti chords were just a little soft-edged, however, and the main section's Allegro tempo was a little too gentle to liberate the music’s pent up, febrile energy. Was that because they had a player-director in the chair rather than someone with a stick on the podium to control the unanimity?
Hard to say, but the question isn’t to do down this concert’s director, Isabelle van Keulen, who took centre stage as soloist in a performance of Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D minor whose dark, swirling opening movement suited the orchestra down to a T, moving like a slow whirlpool of kinetic energy out of which the solo violin emerged organically rather than storming onto the centre stage. Van Keulen’s slightly chalky tone made her violin stand out as an individual amid the overarching melancholy, but the tone of both orchestra and soloist softened beautifully for the slow movement – which featured a marvellous solo from Principal Cello, Philip Higham – and there was a pleasing swagger to the Polonaise of the finale, with pinprick wind spotlights to lighten the texture, though here too the tempo seemed a little self-indulgent, as though another kick of energy might not have gone amiss.
Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst featured shimmering cascades of string runs bouncing and reflecting off one another with vigorous energy, swirling in and out of focus between contrast and unity, though the piece lacked something at its heart, as though there wasn’t much core to its circumnavigations.
Any reservations were swept away by a triumphant performance of Schubert’s Third Symphony, characterised by the wit and majesty that you get only rarely when an orchestra decides to treat Schubert’s youthful symphonies as though they were major masterpieces. You knew from the start that that’s how this team was taking it, with a lovely sense of space to the broad, slow introduction and a first movement played with a marvellous combination of ebullience and fun, the clarinet and oboe solos introducing the main themes with what sounded like a cheeky wink. The second movement may have been dainty, but one eye was always raised, the strings playing with a butter-wouldn’t-melt quality, and the winds and horns treating their Trio like it was a sunny stroll in the park. The Menuet lolloped, with a slight touch of recklessness but always perfectly controlled, and the finale shared gossamer light strings with sparkling winds, finishing the whole concert with what felt like a beaming smile.
