Elena Schwarz leads Auckland Philharmonia through thrilling Ligeti and Sibelius - William Dart
Conductor Elena Schwarz, introducing tonight’s Sheku Plays Elgar concert, spoke of connections, such as one might gather from experiencing artworks side by side in a gallery.
She helpfully linked the singular melodies of Ligeti and Sibelius, as well as the emotional depths to be found in the Finnish symphonist and Elgar, whose Cello Concerto would provide the beating heart of this richly rewarding programme.
Ligeti’s 1971 Melodien dispensed bracing thrills when Auckland Philharmonia first performed it in 2015. Now, after Schwarz had described it to us as music to be watched as much as heard, this sonic Aladdin’s Cave took on a new and vibrant life with the pinpoint precision of her direction.
A full town hall seemingly surrendered to hardcore 1970s avant-garderie, even if Ligeti did admit to softening dense textures to make Melodien less severe and more transparent.
However, what adventures were to be had, as teasing fragments of melody, set off by Huw Dann’s trumpet, floated from iridescent orchestral backdrop.
It was just as fascinating to track the primal melodies of Sibelius escaping from the rough-hewn rockface of his Symphony No 5. The sheer suspense of its first movement was spellbinding, Schwarz’s graceful baton conjuring up some massive climaxes, before slipping into a vivacious scherzo.
One could sense the audience expectantly waiting for the third movement’s chiming horn theme, likened playfully by one critic to the hammer of Thor, the Norse god of thunder — an image that forcibly came to mind during the work’s six closing and tumultuous chords.
Elgar’s 1919 Cello Concerto, cast around a heartbreaking Adagio, reflects the composer’s bitter disillusionment with the inhumanities of the Great War.
It gains immeasurably in terms of poignancy with a young soloist, and tonight’s cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason recorded it at the age of 20, as did his idol, Jacqueline du Pre.
Now 27, Kanneh-Mason put his individual seal on the score from the cri de coeur of his opening four bars, subtly segueing into a beautifully sprung Allegro, displaying the stylish camaraderie of orchestra and soloist.
The central Adagio punctuated soaring lyricism with breathtaking sighs, a mood reprised in the final movement, although nothing was held back in the savage march of this Allegro, indicating that the pomp and circumstance of Elgar’s former days were now hollow and irrelevant.