OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 24 October 2011

COLLABORATION with some of the world’s finest musicians and inspired programming typically define Scottish Ensemble performances, and this latest concert was no exception.

The juxtaposition of Stravinsky and Mendelssohn in the programme heightened appreciation of the craftsmanship, design and energy of each work and the need for reappraisal of works outside the standard repertoire. In terms of the classical concert hall and its typical demographic, arguably Mendelssohn is the more accessible of the two composers, and in the hands of a less innovative ensemble would be presented in the absence of any dynamic counterpoint.

Pianist Alasdair Beatson (photo Giorgia Bertazzi)

The inspired pairing of Mendelssohn and Stravinsky, together with exceptional solo performances by pianist Alastair Beatson and Scottish Ensemble Director and violinist, Jonathan Morton, greatly expanded the parameters of each composer’s work. The unexpected dimension of this performance revealed itself in the musical language of two different centuries entwined and exposed to the ear in brilliant counterpoint.

Stravinsky’s Concerto in D for String Orchestra (1946) opened the programme, the first movement ‘Vivace’ characterised by compressed and expectant rhythms, feeling more like a musical equation than any exploration of sentiment. This desire to move beyond Romantic expectation to the realisation of pure musical elements as the foundations of composition, resistant to narrative, is what makes so much of Stravinsky’s work so immediately compelling.

Intriguingly, in contrast the second movement ‘Arioso- Andantino’, with its sweeping, elegant melodic line and genteel rhythms feels as if the composer were imitating the musical manners of an earlier age. This Classicism, an understanding of musical form as the foundation for the composer’s own unique aural grammar, is a quality shared by both Stravinsky and Mendelssohn to greater and lesser degrees of abstraction.

The inclusion of two works from different periods in Mendelssohn’s life side by side, the ‘Capriccio’ and ‘Fugue’ from Four Pieces for String Quartet, op 81 (1827-43) arranged by Jonathan Morton, illustrate the invention of the composer at the end of his life and in his youth, equally grappling with musical language and inheritance. Though very different in mood, Mendelssohn’s joy in the multi-layered construction of the fugue in both of these works, finding freedom in the precision of composition, was communicated beautifully in performance by the unity of the entire ensemble.

This palpable energy on stage infused each work with equal weight and consideration throughout the concert, successfully heightening the qualities of each composer in both the ear and mind.

Stravinsky’s Concertino for 12 Instruments (also arranged by Morton) followed; a single movement work of fascinating textures, fluidity and tension. The final work, Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and Strings in D Minor (written, astonishingly, when the composer was just 14 years old) was a fitting conclusion to the evening – a joyous engagement between solo piano, violin and ensemble.

Beatson’s exquisite playing, especially during the second movement ‘Adagio’, was matched by Morton on violin, exploring fully the harmony and dualism between two solo voices in this double concerto. The sensitivity of Beatson’s performance was perfectly nuanced, with a lightness of touch revelling in the intricate finger work of Mendelssohn’s original composition. It was a collaboration culminating in a signature performance of a lesser known but magnificent work, clearly appreciated by the audience.

Although seemingly sound worlds apart, the pairing of Stravinsky and Mendelssohn as part of the Scottish Ensemble’s 2011/2012 season gave new meaning to accessibility in the Arts, a word often used but seldom defined by innovation and excellence. The Scottish Ensemble consistently embodies both, encouraging audiences to experience live musical performance in the most dynamic and expansive way possible.

© Georgina Coburn, 2011

Links

• Scottish Ensemble