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The Royal Philharmonic was certainly very good but judging from the audience’s standing ovation (quite, odd, come to think of it – an ovation for an orchestral performance), you would have thought that they were Berlin or Wien. The opening piece, extracted from a film score by William Walton, showed off the melting tones of the strings. Thereafter, Vaughan Williams’ Symphony No.6 struck like a bolt of fury. I have to say that hearing the work was one of the most enjoyable musical experiences I have had in a long time. The orchestra, obviously under expert direction, slashed, burned, laughed hysterically, and left one with a terrible sense of cold beauty at the end. Here we got a glimpse of what the Maestro had been up to in the past few years with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. A work in which all the movements were linked, the Symphony reverberated like a live wire through 35 min - and left the audience feeling bemused. I think most of them did not ‘get it’. Nevertheless, time and experience – I am sure – will lead more to appreciate such a fine work, one which is relevant to our political and musical times, being neither too esoteric, nor too cloyingly palatable.
I had to close my eyes as ‘Nimrod’, the world’s favourite English music - one of the movements from the Enigma Variations, was performed. So overwhelmed was I by the descending sevenths in the melody - powerfully expressive, and fleshed out in full glory by the orchestra, which I believe, is in top form. (None of the boo-boos one occasionally observes in London’s top four.) I am grateful that ‘Nimrod’ was not overdone, though I had yearned for more pathos in the opening variation. The principal cellist had a beautiful tone, although her stroke was somewhat wavering. Many brilliant passages by the brasses deserve mention, and the all too often forgotten percussionist did fine work, especially in ‘Nimrod’.
Overall, this evening witnessed fine musicianship and some great moments. The outer works were enough to melt a hardened cynic, whilst Vaughan Williams brought a different, more contemporary dimension of reality to the evening. This is a programme which is hard to beat. We had the opportunity to see London’s step-child of an orchestra at work (the only one of the top four not linked to a major performance venue), and it was quite remarkable.
