Scottish Ensemble: ‘Virtuosi’

8 Sep 2006 in Highland, Music

An Lanntair, Stornoway, 6 September 2006

Scottish Ensemble

THE SCOTTISH ENSEMBLE – based in Glasgow and comprised of 12 string players, led and conducted by violinist Jonathan Morton – have a considerable reputation for original and fresh programming and dynamic performances, and the programme for this concert, part of their ‘Virtuosi’ tour of the Highlands and Islands, provided ample opportunity for both dynamism and to give a sizeable audience a taste of something different.

The programme opened with two works by Sibelius. The ‘Suite Characteristique, Op. 100’ dates from 1922, and in three movements is so short and light on anything of any musical consequence that it can at best be described as ephemera, and was executed with familiar precision by the Ensemble.

The second, ‘Romanze, Op 42’ from 1904, had much more of the trademark melody and distinctive harmony of Sibelius, with some emphatic and intense writing that was captured by the Ensemble with great clarity and purpose, displaying one of the key strengths of this group, the unity and depth of their ensemble sound. Across the evening the Ensemble consistently displayed a bond of both purpose and tone that fully justifies the name given to this tour.

The arrangement [of Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence] drew on the full resources of the ensemble with demanding writing for both solo and group parts, and was superbly executed

The programme continued with John Woolrich’s ‘Ulysses Awakes’, and the composer was present to give an eloquent and fascinating introduction to the work. Based on Monteverdi’s opera, ‘Il Ritorno d’ Ulisse in Partia’, the piece is a kind of mini-viola concerto, with the viola (performed by Ensemble member Catherine Marwood) representing the voice of Ulysses ‘waking on the shores of his homeland’.

It is a concern of this writer that too often new composition fails to get sufficient repeat performance beyond its original commission, and in bringing works of this kind into their programme (the piece was originally commissioned by Gavin Henderson for Dartington International Summer School), the Scottish Ensemble do a considerable service in ensuring a wider audience for the music of living composers.

The piece itself, however, is unresolved and problematic, leaving a question as to whether or not the string ensemble setting provides the right environment for its base material to live with clarity. String ensemble writing, and playing, has to tread a fine line between the demands of orchestral and chamber music.

At times – and based on only one hearing – this piece suggested a strong footing in more ‘chamber’ settings (perhaps quartet or quintet), at others it seemed to require larger orchestral resources. The soloist played with sensitivity in the middle of it all, but ultimately this piece remained an unsatisfying and perplexing presence in the programme.

The first half finished with a glistening and gutsy exposition of Mendelssohn’s ‘Violin Concerto in D minor’, with Jonathan Morton as soloist. It is the lesser known of Mendelssohn’s violin concerti, and written when the composer was only 13 years old.

Although over-shadowed by the better-known concerto in E minor, this work displays the range of influences on the emerging young composer, harking back to pre-Beethoven luminaries, and as the excellent programme notes pointed out, the French style of the work’s dedicatee, Eduard Rietz.

This piece saw the Scottish Ensemble in full and eloquent flight, with a rich orchestral sound that belies their size. Jonathan Morton’s exuberant performance was a joy, and was all the more appreciated for the closeness to the music this format allows the audience, one which came to the fore in second half.

That consisted of just one piece, Tchaikovsky’s ‘Souvenir de Florence, Op 70’, arranged for string orchestra. Occupying the normal place of a symphony in this programme, the piece, in four movements, has the depth of writing one would normally associate with a major full orchestral work by this composer, and was a revelation.

The arrangement drew on the full resources of the ensemble with demanding writing for both solo and group parts, and was superbly executed. This was intense, engaging, lyrical music that moved with consistent logic across its movements drawing the listener closer and closer to its themes, which fully deserve such attention.

Personally, this writer would forsake the asides that opened this programme for a more substantial piece, but that apart the Scottish Ensemble communicate their music with a rare lucidity and emotion.