Stunning Sibelius from Simone Lamsma in Liverpool

In the 1990s, when Libor Pešek was the Principal Conductor the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, they played a good deal of Josef Suk’s music. It was good to hear this rather neglected composer once again in the orchestra’s latest concert with Domingo Hindoyan. The Scherzo fantastique made a thoroughly enjoyable opener, delighting the audience with constant shifting rhythms and timbres, sometimes dramatic, sometimes light-hearted. A smooth waltz-like string theme and a section with harp and woodwinds were particularly engaging. If the piece had a programme, we might have been thinking in terms of telling a story; without one, our imagination was free to roam at will through our own favourite fantasy worlds.

Simone Lamsma, one of the RLPO’s current artists-in-residence, joined them for a superb performance of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor. Right from the magical opening, where the soloist enters over very quiet shimmering strings, Lamsma grabbed our attention with a sweet tone and expressive playing. This is a concerto where the focus is very much on the soloist, Sibelius keeping the orchestra in the background, only rarely giving it the opportunity to play loud and then only when the soloist was silent, yet its contribution is crucial for the overall atmosphere. Hindoyan and the RLPO clearly appreciated this, as did Lamsma who could often be seen looking at the orchestra and conductor. 

Hindoyan ensured that the balance was just right, giving the soloist the right support and evoking Sibelius' magical sound world. The soloist was never in danger of being overwhelmed by the orchestra. Lamsma’s was an unhurried performance with no gimmicks. She was completely on top of the technical demands but was never overly showy. Rather, every note served to communicate the music. She expressed the deep feeling of the slow second movement in a way I have rarely heard. The finale was simply mesmerising. Every nuance felt absolutely necessary. By the end I felt that we had gone through a serious but upliflting experience. As an encore, with the five principal string players, she played the lovely Sicilienne by (or attributed to) Maria Threresia von Paradis.

After the interval we heard a rare performance of Rachmaninov’s Symphony no. 1 in D minor. This is the notorious work that received a disastrous premiere in 1895, conducted by an unsympathetic (and allegedly inebriated) Alexander Glazunov. Critics detested it. Rachmaninov suffered a mental collapse and left the score behind when he left Russia in 1917. The symphony did not receive a second performance until 1944 when the lost score was reconstructed from the orchestral parts. However, Rachmaninov had not forgotten it. At one stage he had considered revising it, and he quoted it in his last completed work, the Symphonic Dances.

Hindoyan and the orchestra gave an enthusiastic performance. The first movement in particular gave a foretaste of the symphonic Rachmaninov to come. The sweeping strings and poignant wind contributions were shaped and controlled masterfully. The second movement showed an unexpected lightness and delicacy; the third was generally darker and the mood mysterious. The RLPO’s wind players were on top form. The orchestra shone in the brass-dominated call to attention that started the finale. They negotiated the dramatic changes of mood and the intricate rhythms with verve. If he had been able to revise it, perhaps Rachmaninov would have tightened up the structure; nevertheless this was a fine performance of an intriguing symphony.