IT WAS the last concert of the Philharmonic’s main season and it produced a bit of a mixed bag of musical goodies.
Drawing heavily on French musical influences, with a bit of Barber thrown in for good measure, many of the pieces were evocations of balmy Mediterranean locations, perfectly suitable for an unusually sticky summer evening in Liverpool.
Š It’s hard to say which was the most attractive piece on the programme.
Ibert’s Escales certainly evoked some fantastically lively moments.
Ravel’s ever-fascinating Second Daphnis and Chloe Suite brought the whole season to a shattering conclusion.
Š And then there was the rarely-heard Third Violin Concerto from Saint-Saëns and an equally, if not more, unusual performance of Barber’s Meadea’s Mediation and the Dance of Vengeance.
Š Conductor Ludovic Morlot let the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra relax into a languid trance for the opening movement of the Ibert, subtitled Palermo. It was a beautifully fluid movement and suddenly burst into action.
