Review: The Hallè, Leeds Town Hall, Saturday, January 13, 2018
SIR Mark Elder and the Hallè enthralled a full house with this fascinating juxtaposition of works by Delius, Elgar and Ravel. All too often Delius is represented in the concert hall only by his miniatures. So this rare performance of the exotically scored tone poem Paris - the Song of a Great City - was a very special treat indeed. Sir Mark's erudite introductory remarks reminded us that Delius' portrayal of nocturnal 19th century Paris is the earliest example of an 'impressionist' work.
The subterranean depth of the strings and the growling bassoons in the opening Adagio soon conjured up an atmosphere of mystery. This gradually swells into the depiction of a 'city of pleasures', before the sounds of awakening streets and the rising orchestral dawn. The dense textures were scrupulously balanced by Sir Mark and the Hallè in this lovingly crafted performance of a sadly neglected work.
From the full orchestral panoply of Delius to Ravel's relative economy of scale in his delightfully frothy Jazz-infused Piano Concerto in G Major. Russian soloist Anna Tsybuleva seemed to stamp her personality all over this scintillating piece. The first prize winner of the 2015 Leeds International Piano Competition looked and sounded as though she was thoroughly enjoying herself on her 'home' turf.
An all Elgar second half opened with his transcription of Bach's organ Fantasia and Fugue in C minor. Elgar's gloriously overblown technicolor orchestration virtually replicates the sonorities of the 'King of Instruments'.
And so to Opus 36 - the Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma). Sir Mark Elder and the Hallè wondrously captured the conflicting emotions of the composer's friends pictured within. The soulful qualities of this famous set of variations were conveyed with such warmth by these musicians. Elgar's extended finale creates an extra frisson of excitement when the organ thunders in on the last few notes. Not so last Saturday evening - although an organist was credited in the programme, the organ console steadfastly remained in its storage position beneath the stage. A pity.
by Geoffrey Mogridge
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