From Evil Empire to Grail Fellowship: The Symphony Orchestra of India at Cadogan Hall

The Symphony Orchestra of India opened its second Cadogan Hall concert with John Williams’ Imperial March from Star Wars. This familiar piece is described in the programme book as “inspired by Mars from Holst’s The Planets”. That flatters Williams somewhat, but it made an effective curtain-raiser. The large string contingent and fine heavy brass playing announced the SOI’s qualities as well. Sadly, there was not a Darth Vader costume in sight.

There followed the concert’s one normal repertoire piece, the long four-movement Piano Concerto no. 2 in B flat major of Brahms, with pianist Pavel Kolesnikov. I last heard Kolesnikov live at this year’s Aldeburgh Festival. It was 10pm, everyone had just left a full orchestral concert, but was still held spellbound for another hour by the Goldberg Variations. So it was here, from his poetic response to the opening horn solo, through to his delicate dancing manner launching the finale. 

His balance of virtuoso thunder (the Scherzo) and contemplative calm (the Andante) was ideal. Conductor Richard Farnes was attentive in support, and several orchestral solos glowed, especially from the first horn and the principal cello. Kolesnikov’s encore, Schubert’s F minor Moment musicaux (D.780 no.3), was an ideal dessert after the heavier fare from Brahms.

The second half gave us opera minus the voices, a genre which, at least on recordings, has become a familiar way of presenting Wagner. The composer performed parts of his works in orchestral concerts, and recently these have been extended to arrangements that can occupy half a concert. Here it was Parsifal, arranged into a continuous 45-minute piece by Andrew Gourlay in 2018. The opera has orchestral preludes to its three acts, and other orchestral set pieces and transitional music. This obviates the need to transcribe much vocal music, so that the musical sections sounds mostly as in the opera house.

However, Gourlay calls the work a “symphonic suite” which implies slightly different goals from sung drama, and some sections are resequenced from their operatic order. But having taken the decision to begin at the beginning and end at the end, Gourlay follows a sequence that will give musical balance. Thus the Act 2 Prelude, the only fast music, is placed near the centre. The overwhelmingly eloquent transformation music of Act 1 is placed near the end of the suite, where its climactic passion works well. I thought I would come away wanting the curtain to rise on a real staged performance, but found this arrangement satisfying in itself, retaining the composer’s vision of a world of compassion and a transcendent quest triumphantly achieved.

It was expertly directed by Farnes, who knows the whole opera – sorry, Buhnenweihfestspiel (Sacred stage festival play) – very well. His judgement of tempo and balance was that of a master Wagnerian. The many SOI strings were rich and weighty – and in Cadogan Hall’s lively analytical acoustic both their lines and those of the woodwinds could be heard in louder passages. The first trumpet’s early announcement of the Grail theme was piercing in its intensity. As for the Act 1 bells, Schott’s website says “a sampler is available for hire for the Parsifal bells, playable by the percussionist.” That effect here was alright, no more. And one misses that brushed velvet blend of Wagner’s luminous Parsifal sound coming from a stage pit. But there are many benefits in this presentation of such great music otherwise rarely heard live. This suite should find a permanent place in the orchestral repertoire.