MUSIC: RLPO, Morlot, Philharmonic Hall

Apr 7 2008 by Glyn Mon Highes, Liverpool Daily Post

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in concert _240

IN MANY ways, this was a  voyage of discovery.

It was, for many, an exploration  of unknown works. It was a trip  around sacred, celestial sounds  which - in themselves -  constituted a voyage into  uncharted territory.

And then there was  Honegger's Pacific 231. For the  train buffs among us, 231 alludes  to the wheel arrangement of a  steam locomotive. Honegger -  himself fascinated by railways -  turned the whole ceremony of the  departure of a train into a  miniature which is so full of energy and  passion. He joins, of course, so  many other composers - Britten,  Vivien Ellis amongst others -  who were inspired by trains. And why not?

This performance, which  featured a steamed-up, fire- breathing Royal Liverpool  Philharmonic Orchestra under  the baton of an extremely  energetic Frenchman by the  name of Ludovic Morlot, brought  this piece to life. It's under ten  minutes long but this perfor- mance was bursting with life -  from the idling of a locomotive in  the platform to the speedy trail  through the countryside.

At totally the other end of the  musical spectrum, the concert  included a performance of  Messiaen's first orchestral work,  Les Offrandes Oubliees. Here  was a typically Messiaen work,  moving from slow, almost pained  meditation, to total frenzy.  Notable, in this performance,  were the highly charged,  pianissimo moments -  culminating in the long silence at  the work's conclusion.

Antal Szalai was soloist in  Glazunov's A minor Violin  Concerto. There was a gentle,  almost ineffective opening which  led into a quite stunning cadenza  of which the soloist could, justifiably, be  proud. This led into a somewhat  dull final section, though the  playing of trumpets and violins helped save  the overall performance.

The concert concluded with  Cesar Franck's D minor  Symphony. Here, it's possible to  hear much of his organ output  transferred to orchestra - in  particular the soul-searching  Chorales.

The slow and languid opening  transferred into an exploration  which evoked Franck's often  forward-looking musical  language. The delightful  counterpoint in the middle  allegretto was deliciously  understated while the fast finale  - with that tune - brought the  night to a triumphal conclusion.