Empire Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 2 May 2012

THE 2011-12 Orchestral Season at Eden Court was brought to a thoroughly enjoyable climax on Wednesday with a visit by the admirable Scottish Chamber Orchestra under the baton of the young Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, making his debut with the Orchestra here in Inverness before moving on to conduct the same programme in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

ONE would have thought that, with something around a hundred Inverness concerts under its belt since 1974, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra would need no introduction. However there were so many new faces in the ranks on stage that even the most stalwart SCO follower would have appreciated an orchestra list in the programme leaflet, not to mention biographies of the conductor and soloist. Perhaps it is just one more sign of the general economic situation.

Jakub Hrůša (photo Prague Philharmonia)

So, who is Jakub Hrůša? Born in what was then Czechoslovakia in 1981, he studied at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts with Jiří Bělohlávek. Since then he has been named by Gramophone magazine in 2011 as one of ten young conductors “on the verge of greatness”. He is Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Prague Philharmonia, Music Director of Glyndebourne on Tour, and Principal Guest Conductor of Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. In addition his style and depth of interpretation have lead some to say he is the natural successor to the late Sir Charles Mackerras.

Maestro Hrůša chose to open his concert with music from his homeland, the Czech Suite by Antonin Dvořák, a set of five short pieces, Pastorale, Polka, Sousedska, Romanza and Furiant. The work served as an ideal overture, providing plenty of opportunities for solo spots for members of the SCO. Hrůša had complete control of his musicians following a line that was beautifully focused and alert, and transporting the audience to the rustic charms of the Czech countryside.

The soloist for the Mozart D minor Piano Concerto, K466, was the American Jonathan Biss, who is fast making something of a name for himself on the international concert circuit. But what is it about young American pianists and Eden Court’s perfectly good Steinway concert grand piano? The last one was Simone Dinnerstein who visited with the RSNO and insisted that a brand new full-size Steinway was brought up for her from Newcastle at considerable expense. Lovely piano; shame about the indifferent playing that evening! And at this concert, there on the stage was a shiny new grand piano with a Steinway logo pointing out to the audience. At least this time the playing was of an exceptionally high standard.

It is with good reason that the D minor concerto has been a favourite of audiences ever since Mozart rushed it off in great haste in 1785. For much of the time the orchestra has an important role to play rather than just supporting the soloist, especially in the opening allegro when, after a longish introduction, Jonathan Biss was exchanging phrases with the winds. The second movement, the Romance, is one of the best known movements in the piano repertoire. It is both tender and sweet, characteristics that Biss brought out delightfully, cleverly avoiding the trap of letting it become too schmaltzy. After a slightly up-tempo foray with the orchestra, Biss returned with a cadenza that repeated the opening theme of the Romance before, after the briefest of pauses, launching into the allegro finale which he shared with the orchestra.

Biss may be best known for his playing of Beethoven, but his playing of Mozart leaves nothing to be desired. And his having the SCO to play the concerto with him did no harm. It is not for nothing that the SCO has the reputation of being one of the very best Mozart orchestras this side of Vienna. Put Jonathan Biss and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra together, add Jakub Hrůša to the mix and you end up with a truly memorable performance.

It has been claimed that Beethoven’s Second Symphony in D major is a more gentle piece than the two symphonies each side of it chronologically. But that is hard to believe after the introductory controlled adagio when Maestro Hrůša gave free rein to the horns, trumpets and timpani. What a eminently suitable sound for early Beethoven is produced by the natural horns and trumpets in the SCO.

Gentle may be an accurate description of the second movement, marked larghetto, which looks over its shoulder to Mozart, and also forward to the flute passages heard in the Sixth Symphony. The short scherzo gives everyone the chance to have a bit of fun with each other before Beethoven increases the tempo for a finale which Hrůša allowed to gallop all the way to its stormy conclusion.

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra has given Inverness a concert to remember to wind up the current season. They will be back at Eden Court on 16 August with Isabella van Keulen playing Prokofiev, Mozart and Beethoven. Then Inverness has to wait until 14 April next year when the published programme informs us the concert will end with Beethoven’s Second Symphony. Great planning!

© James Munro, 2012

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