United Kingdom Promenade 47 – Les Siècles performs Ligeti and Mozart: Isabelle Faust (violin), Alexander Melnikov (fortepiano), Les Siècles / François-Xavier Roth (conductor). Royal Albert Corridor, London, 20.8.2023. (CC)

Ligeti – Live performance Românesc; Violin Concerto
Mozart – Piano Concerto No.23 in A serious; Symphony No.41 in C main, ‘Jupiter’

In an interview, François-Xavier Roth talks about attracting individuals to Ligeti ‘by Mozart … Mozart is such a optimistic determine … that people who find themselves a bit bit afraid of Ligeti have a door to return to Ligeti’s music.’ It was Roth who based Les Siècles in 1993 (and the ensemble is thus celebrating its twentieth anniversary this yr). The orchestra makes use of probably the most applicable devices it could discover for the items; and right here we had Ligeti (carried out at A=442Hz) and Mozart (carried out at A=430Hz, and the way we heard the distinction within the tuning-up that prefaced the Mozart. A special chief in every half, too.

This was an extended BBC Promenade – with a lot shuffling round of the stage, which made it really feel fairly disparate. That, and juxtaposing Ligeti within the first occasion and Mozart within the second (presumably as a result of if reversed, many may need left on the interval?) gave one thing of the flavour of two live shows subsequent to one another reasonably than one composite entity…

The primary piece by Ligeti was, amazingly, receiving its first efficiency on the Proms: the Live performance Românesc of 1951. The work makes use of supply materials from Transylvania. It was rejected by the Hungarian Composers’ Union – Ligeti felt this was due to the dissonances, regardless of their authenticity. The primary two actions are preparations from Baladă și joc (Ballad and Dance) for 2 violins from 1950. Definitely, the second motion has a definite post-Bartók tinge. The calls, onstage and off, of two horns imitating a bucium (a Romanian alphorn) have been only, with the pure tuning and that feeling of slight roughness one experiences from the F-horn (it’s written for Horn in F within the rating and one assumes was performed on the F facet). The stuttering trumpet fanfares that launch the jittery finale climax in a exceptional torrent of dance music led by the solo violin (chief François-Marie Drieux). The neighbour-note figures circling round a central be aware threatened to spiral off into later Ligeti, maybe (or possibly that’s wishful considering on my half). A pretty piece, carried out with zest and verve by Les Siècles.

The Ligeti Violin Concerto dates from a lot nearer our time (1989-93). It makes use of microtonal music and refers to musics as far-ranging as Papua New Guinea, Laos, Cambodia plus influences from composers as assorted as Thelonius Monk and Harry Partsch. It was a pity we had an interruption instantly earlier than the opening (twice) particularly given it’s ultra-quiet. The challenges for the soloist are monumental, and Isabelle Faust has an outstanding view of the piece. She understands it fully, from the repeated arpeggios of the opening to the selection of cadenza. It’s fascinating to notice that the chief (nonetheless Drieux) has quite a bit to do right here. Faust’s sound is wonderful; as is the bizarre, otherworldly sound of the ocarina, heard right here presenting a bizarre, Ligetian chorale. Fascinating, too, that there are extra overtly Romantic strains right here, too, within the nice Passacaglia.

Any folks music here’s a world away from the sooner piece: the Violin Concerto is a fully-integrated masterpiece. Les Siècles performed with miraculous command (the rhythmic complexities are myriad); the efficiency buzzed with life and erupted with pleasure. Components of the primary motion discovered Faust taking part in (appropriately for her identify) just like the violinist from Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Story, simply multiplied thousand-fold.; all of which meant the deep, burnished, totally solo strains stood out with heightened expressivity. The cadenza, by Faust’s buddy and colleague the composer Oscar Strasnoy, was a masterclass in violinistic excellence, and fitted the piece like a glove. A exceptional efficiency of a exceptional piece.

One encore: ‘Doloroso’ by György Kurtág from his Indicators, Video games and Messages, completely chosen, completely carried out, and maybe winking on the latest efficiency of Endgame (click on right here). Isabelle Faust is a pressure of nature.

So to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.23, performed on a fortepiano – the one owned by Wigmore Corridor, a contemporary copy of an 1819 Conrad Graf instrument (Vienna), chosen for its quantity in addition to its tone. However Alexandra Melnikov was positioned proper in the midst of the orchestra. Even from the stalls and never too removed from the stage, it didn’t work, the fortepiano too quiet just about all through. (it sounds higher within the broadcast than it did within the corridor). The celebs right here have been the members of Les Siècles, most notably the woodwind and horns, standing as one group trying as in the event that they have been able to burst into some Harmoniemusik. In some methods, they did, providing the proper chamber music. A pity Melnikov was not so dependable; like András Schiff solely not too long ago, there have been sploshes of sound that detracted from the continuing circulate. The plethora of viewers coughs within the central Adagio appeared to level to viewers restlessness (or on edge within the mild of the efficiency?). Concentrating on the orchestra was the important thing: Melnikov typically sounded literal and disengaged. Fascinating that though he provides his personal decorations (though not as convincingly on this repertoire as Robert Levin), Melnikov left the lengthy, sustained notes over pizzicato strings alone, a daring alternative. While it underlined the modernity of that second, it additionally appeared inconsistent. The finale was splashy once more from the keyboard, in opposition to the brilliance of the orchestra. Some decidedly cheeky decorations from Melnikov in the direction of the top weren’t sufficient to avoid wasting the day.

Much better was the efficiency of Mozart’s ultimate symphony (No.41 in C main, ‘Jupiter’). Roth took threat after threat, and so they all appeared to repay, lingering dangerously on the silences separating these forceful opening gestures earlier than providing a suave contrasting topic. There was a distinctly operatic side to this, significantly maybe within the coda thought of the exposition. The Andante cantabile contained strains so remarkably collectively (and dynamically in unison, too) that it appeared unimaginable, whereas the one-in-a-bar Menuetto practically had swing to it. Nevertheless it was the finale that basically triumphed, a celebration of counterpoint on the grandest, most ceremonial scale. Recollections of a efficiency of this symphony by Klaus Tennstedt and the London Philharmonic Orchestra a few years in the past on the Proms got here flooding again – the impact of the additive imitative entries was related (Friday the thirteenth of September 1985 to be actual).

A novel BBC Promenade in so many respects. It’s the Ligeti Violin Concerto and the Mozart ’Jupiter’ that stay its best moments, however I for one wouldn’t be with out the primary efficiency on the Proms of the Concerto Românesc.

Colin Clarke