The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Manze, presented a programme spanning over a century of British music at the Royal Albert Hall, captivating the London audience without needing to hail from Berlin. The concert featured a commanding performance of Britten's Violin Concerto by Simone Lamsma, a visionary rendition of Vaughan Williams's Ninth Symphony, and the world premiere of Carmel Smickersgill's A Brick Thrown With Love.
World Premiere: Smickersgill's A Brick Thrown With Love
Smickersgill's new work imagines an act of protest from three perspectives: the idea itself, the affected community, and the person responsible for throwing the brick. The opening movement featured a cheeky clarinet theme that was mocked, distorted, and ultimately hijacked by a subversive orchestra. A shiver of bells built to an elated climax in the second part before shifty, syncopated brass propelled the third section to a brutal catharsis. While the musical texture was applied a little thickly in places, the imagination on display was impressive.
Lamsma's Commanding Britten Violin Concerto
Simone Lamsma, winner of the 2004 Britten International Violin Competition, delivered an interpretation of the composer's angst-ridden concerto that felt like an act of total identification. Her silvery legato and fiery theatrics were ably supported by Manze, himself a violinist, who understood the importance of balancing soloist and orchestral forces. In the opening movement, Lamsma was imperious yet lyrical, bringing a whiff of brimstone to the whirligig scherzo with a cadenza that exuded pure witchcraft. The finale's tortuous mood swings were nimbly charted through to the bleakly inconclusive final trill.
Vaughan Williams: From Tallis Fantasia to the Ninth Symphony
Manze demonstrated a deep understanding of Vaughan Williams, evident from the orchestra's cushioned account of the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. However, no real attempt was made to separate the antiphonal string groups as the composer intended, a missed opportunity given the sonorous Albert Hall acoustics. No such reservations applied to his cohesive reading of the Ninth Symphony, which emerged as the visionary masterpiece it most certainly is. Flugelhorn, cor anglais, and a louche saxophone trio added baleful atmospherics to a dark and detailed interpretation, highlighting the work's kinship with the Sinfonia Antartica as well as its terse interior drama and brooding orchestral weight.
The concert is available on BBC Sounds until 12 October. The Proms continue until 12 September.
