This was a most remarkable concert in many ways!
Now, I should make it clear at the outset that I must have been one of the few audience members who hadn't booked because Dudamel was conducting - that was just a happy coincidence. I bought a ticket because I wanted to see Martin Fröst perform the Hillborg Clarinet Concerto (Peacock Tales). I first heard this when a fellow board member sent me his copy, not being a fan of the piece. I think it's got a lot of fine things in it (perhaps a bit overlong), but was aware that there's a heck of a lot more to the piece than the music - the visual elements of dance/mime are very important too, (There's a Youtube video of a shortened performance
here), so I bought a ticket.
The Ravel was quite exciting - Dudamel drew out the grotesque nature of the music and the orchestra responded well. It's never been a massive favourite; it's most effective performance I've seen was as part of a triple bill from the Royal Ballet.
The Hillborg was a fabulous piece of theatre more than anything - special lighting gave a sense of drama and Fröst's performance, complete with mask at various points, showed total commitment to the piece. I think some of the audience were a bit taken aback at the dance/mime and there were some who didn't enjoy the piece. I'd happily go to a concert where it's programmed again. I wonder if clarinettists other than Fröst have taken it up? I can't quite see Michael Collins or Andrew Marriner donning masks and spinning around the stage! I didn't catch Fröst announce his fun encore...any help gratefully received!
The
Symphonie fantastique was totally enthralling - Dudamel has clearly won over the Gothenburgers, who followed his every move and responded brilliantly. The timps (gosh, it's been a good week for timps, hasn't it?) were great - hard sticks in the 'period instrument' fashion, and the brass had a fine old time, greeting the march to the scaffold with delight! The final movement saw the orchestra delighting in the grotesquery and the final romp through the coda was as exhilarating as ever. Great ovation, much deserved.
Not one, but two encores! A piece by Stenhammar, which had a distinct Sibelian ring to it, and Tico Tico, showing that what the Simon Bolivar can do, so can Gothenburg! Much fun had by all, especially the brass players who removed their jackets during the music and danced around!
A moan, however, about the audience. I've had a
rant at TOP, about the woman in the choir stalls who was determined to applaud the Hillborg before it had finished and who whooped after the second movement of the SF, but there was also someone up in the Gallery(?) who was talking rather loudly during the closing minutes of the concerto. In the second half, there were chatterers aplenty. I despair, at times.
