Music Review: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonic Hall

Nov 19 2007 by Glyn Mon Hughes, Liverpool Daily Post

IT WAS one of those concerts which grew like Topsy.

They started with an octet, moved on to a string orchestra and finished up with the stage crammed with the massive forces demanded by Stravinsky for his ballet suite Petrushka.

It was also good to welcome back David Atherton, principal conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra between 1980 and 1983.

The opening work, a spirited performance of Mozart’s C minor Serenade, allowed the gifted woodwind section of the orchestra to show off their not inconsiderable talents. The work, scored for pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons is as joyous as it is delicate, as flamboyant as it is introspective.

The sheer power of the opening Allegro shone through right from the start while there was a special delicacy in the Minuet. The finale, a set of variations, built up the tension right through to the end. A great start to a concert, something which could be done perhaps more frequently.

The emotionally draining Serenade and Elegy by Hugh Wood was performed by the RLPO strings as well as the Chilingirian String Quartet. The serenade was delightfully subtle and unassuming but there was a real element of emotional stress in this work, ably brought out by Atherton. The elegy seemed to juxtapose moments of anger and despair with periods of intense excitement but the way the work faded away in a relaxed and quite beautiful conclusion was really very moving.

The Stravinsky is an explosion of excitement. From end to end, this was another spirited performance with some excellent string playing. The pianist, too, was expected to give his all in what is a demanding part.

The intricate Stravinsky harmonies never cease to fascinate and the way Atherton built up this work to its tumultuous conclusion was breathtaking.

While the brass was not all it could have been in the second movement, they certainly redeemed themselves in the finale.

Another RLPO concert to savour.