Alf McCreary: Ulster Orchestra perform all-Russian programme with authority and sensitivity
In an all-Russian programme in the Ulster Hall on Friday there was a wide range of moods and music, from the familiar to the relatively obscure, all of which the Ulster Orchestra – under the direction of the young British conductor Angus Webster – performed with authority and sensitivity.
The opening piece was Anton Arensky’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky Op. 35a, which was a tribute to the famed composer after his untimely death. They had been close friends, and this tribute was sombre and soulful but without an easily discernible link to one of Tchaikovsky’s more familiar compositions. It came across as almost a private tribute rather than as a significant and public work redolent of the Tchaikovsky so beloved by millions down the generations – but still worth hearing.
The centre-piece of the evening was Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, played by the young Dutch virtuoso Rosanne Philippens. It was scored for a large orchestra, though Stravinsky himself claimed that it was best suited to a chamber ensemble.
The power of the full-scale Ulster Orchestra was such that in the early parts of the concerto it almost drowned out the soloist, but she made her presence felt in the final two movements.
Despite Stravinsky’s claim that technically the concerto was “rather tame”, the score made considerable demands on the accomplished and unfazed soloist.
Rosanne Phillipens attracted enthusiastic applause with her unorthodox encore. This was a Dutch composition for which she rolled up part of her long dress and stomped her foot on the stage to accompany some fairly feisty music, reminiscent of Fiona Monbet’s unforgettable April in Paris concert in the Ulster Hall a few weeks ago.
The second half was devoted to Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No 2, a major contrast to his First Symphony which was performed by the Ulster Orchestra way back on October 18 last.
The premiere of the First Symphony in 1897 in was a disaster due to reasons beyond the composer’s control, and Rachmaninoff took it very badly. After a period of introspection and depression he bounced back with his hugely popular Second Piano Concerto, first heard in 1901, and his Second Symphony premiered in 1907 was also a triumph.
The Ulster Orchestra did it more than justice, and it seemed that the composer, having produced such wonderful melodies, was keen to re-cycle them, particularly in the triumphant final movement following the rumbustious Scherzo and the beautifully lyrical Adagio.
The Season Finale is on May 30, and a great way to celebrate this is the powerful Fifth Symphony by Shostakovich, following Walton’s Cello Concerto.