Reino Unido
Pluses and minuses of the evening
Andrew Maisel
Having recently completed a well received cycle of Rachmaninov symphonies and operas for Chandos, Gianandrea Noseda and his BBC forces presented this collection of rare and familiar choral works before a packed audience for this Promenade concert. As well as having a seasoned track record with Rachmaninov, Noseda has considerable experience in Russian music as guest conductor at the Mariinsky theatre and the addition of that theatre's chorus in repertoire that benefits from Russian voices was an attractive bonus.
Indeed the playing and conducting throughout were of a high order; Noseda demonstrating his way with Rachmaninov with beautifully shaped and phrased readings. He was rewarded with playing of great refinement and skill from the BBC Philharmonic, but in the vast expanses of the Royal Albert Hall, not all of the performances were an unqualified successes.
The less familar works were a decidely mixed bunch.The two short dances from the one act opera Aleko were delicately poised, featuring some delightful wind playing in the Women's dance, while the more pungent Men's dance had the orchestra in full flight.
Svetla Vassileva delivered a passionate but occasionally wobbly reading of the wordless and pared down arrangement of the popular Vocalise, usually performed in a fuller orchestrated form, but here, infinitely more engaging with soprano voice.
The Three Russian Songs (getting their first complete performance at the Proms) was the only work to come from Rachmaninov's post Russian period, composed around the time of the Fourth Piano Concerto and receiving its premier in Philadelphia in 1927. Like much of his American output, the songs, although simpler in nature to much of the composer's Russian choral work, preserve a sense of melancholy and longing for his homeland that remained a feature of his writing right up until his death. The Mariinsky Chorus, generally in fine voice all night, were a disappointment. Using reduced numbers of around 30 it sounded underpowered and undernourished in a space notorious for swallowing up smaller forces.
Earlier the Marriinsky chorus were on thrilling form in the opening work, the early Spring Cantata. Dating from 1902, this is a very dramatic work, telling the story of a man who decides to kill his wife after discovering her infidelity, only to change his mind after seeing the first blossoms of Spring. In the right hands this can be a deeply moving work and with a sympathetic and unsentimental reading of the score by Noseda and a committed reading from the bass Alexei Tanovitski this proved the case.
The performance of the major work, The Bells (based freely on the poem by Edgar Allan Poe) summed all the pluses and minuses of the evening. Noseda lovingly moulded Rachmaninov's melodic phrases and the BBC Philharmonic responded with some beautiful playing in the winds and violins. However the high octane first and third movements lacked bite and fervour, blunting the stark contrasts of the individual movements a little. A bolstered Mariinsky chorus sounded fuller than in the first half but the ecstatic climax of the 'Silver Sleigh Bells' still felt less than overwhelming. As for the soloists, Misha Didyk's soaring tenor was a delight in the opening movement but had a tendency to be drowned out by the orchestra. Svetla Vassileva was suitably sensuous in the darkly coloured 'Mellow Wedding Bells' while Alexei Tanovitskis' s chilling realisation of the realities of death in the 'Mournful Iron Bells' made him the pick of the bunch.
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