Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Brandenburg 5
The Queen’s Hall - 02/12/21
John Adams’ ‘Shaker Loops’ begins tonight’s SCO concert. What are the links between this 1978 work and the Mozart Gran Partita and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no 5? David Kettle in his programme notes believes it’s the incessant rhythms that drive all three pieces forward. This is true, but as we listen, there may occur other intriguing similarities which add to the pleasures of this entertaining and sometimes surprising evening.
The first surprise is that the SCO higher strings stand to play the Adams. This was how they played the concert of baroque music on gut strings that Emelyanychev conducted earlier in the season. Tonight’s standing performance may help the sound, but it also adds to the physical appearance. Adams, whose operas lend themselves to startling visual effects (Airforce One landing in ‘Nixon in China’, the armed terrorists bursting out of the theatre stalls in ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’), wants us to see as well as hear the Shakers referenced in his title. The original Shakers moved around during their worship and were often driven to tremors by the intensity of the experience. In this controlled and very precise work for strings, we can observe the physical movements required to carry out rapid trills, oscillations and tremolos.
The work, though it has minimalist features, has a complicated score. The two dozen string players are divided into seven sections. The first movement, ‘Shaking and Trembling’, requires each section to begin one after the other, each playing a different combination of a few rapid notes, and in a different rhythm. The effect is rhythmically hypnotic rather than confusing. The notes and rhythms change and there’s a crescendo until the oscillating notes are very loud. There are no bass players initially, but everyone else plays almost continuously. When the basses join in, the playing becomes more vigorous, until the music subsides to a gentle throbbing.
The second movement, ‘Hymning Slews’, features long notes in strange harmonies. There’s some eerie wailing, and short snatches of melody on the cello against agitated trilling in the violins. Adams, in this early experimental work, had in mind the technology of his time as well as the historic religious sect. We still use the phrase “in a loop” to describe repetitive music, but forty years ago, as some us remember, you could literally form a loop of tape in a tape recorder and play the same phrase over and over. ‘Loops and Verses’, the third movement, has a cello solo, and regular sections of accelerando, while the fourth movement, a ‘Final Shaking’ does exactly that, with even louder and more agitated repeated “shakes” on the strings.
After this workout most of the players are released for good behaviour and we don’t see them again. While the stage is cleared, Emelyanychev introduces the Mozart ‘Gran Partita’. Two weeks ago we heard a modern take on ‘Hamoniemusik’, a wind band playing a suite from ‘Der Rosenkavalier’. Harmonie bands were invented in Mozart’s time, often playing short popular excerpts for court entertainment. Mozart’s work for thirteen wind instruments - the full version lasts 45 minutes – was a grander version of these recitals. Emelyanychev assures us that he has chosen the best parts of it for this evening’s concert.
Some years ago I saw Charles Mackerras conduct the ‘Gran Partita’. It was one of Brian McMaster’s late night “relaxed” concerts (for a fiver!) and the story goes that Mackerras only reluctantly agreed to relax sufficiently to remove his bow tie. Tonight there’s no conductor, and the twelve wind players and the double-bassist (an alternative scoring) play four movements. Much of the music is very familiar, especially the Adagio, played second, the ‘Amadeus piece’, as Emelyanychev describes it. The SCO’s performance as always mixes modern and original instruments, and this works particularly well in this music. There’s a temptation sometimes to make Mozart too pretty and smooth the rough edges. It can happen with this movement which includes the high entry of the melody (pointed out by Salieri in the film as the mark of Mozart’s genius). The SCO’s performance is wonderful because under the legato “aria” for oboes and clarinets we hear the wheezing and burbling of the horns and bassoons, the deeper notes of the basset-horns and the scratchiness of the bass. There’s playfulness as well as the beauty in Mozart.
The stage is cleared again, and the harpsicord wheeled on - and another surprise: the Brandenburg concerto is to be played by just seven players. There’s no flute in the wind band for the Mozart, and we welcome for the first time flautist Andre Cebrian. Emelyanychev plays the harpsicord and Stephanie Gonley, the SCO’s leader, is the first violin. There are four more strings. This is also familiar music, but the slimmed-down performance enables space as well as precision. There’s leeway for an extended cadenza on the harpsicord in the first movement. It’s a marvellously inventive few minutes, reminding us of the talents of the SCO’s conductor. In the slow second movement things are even more pared back, as it becomes a trio for violin, keyboard and flute. We’re back to the larger ensemble for the allegro final movement, with another briefer virtuosic harpsicord solo.
If you’ve enjoyed the SCO’s concerts both live and online throughout the year you may like to consider a donation to help their future work. You still have time to contribute to their Christmas Give Appeal. Until 7th December, every donation will be matched by an anonymous donor. For further details see www.sco.org.uk/support-us/donate
