Philharmonic Hall was packed last evening for a programme made up of two works, both of which are firmly rooted in the centre of the concert repertoire: the second symphony of Brahms, preceded by Rachmaninov’s third piano concerto.
Stepping in at short notice to replace the scheduled piano soloist was Sergio Tiempo who, like RLPO Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan, hails from Caracas. From the very opening of the work it was clear that we were in for a muscular performance. The concerto is not only notoriously difficult, but is also filled with emotion and its share of fireworks, and Tiempo took a no-holds-barred approach to the drama of the work.
It was not all about the power of the playing though, and whilst his touch was certainly very much on the weighty side there was a striking fluidity and lyricism in many places, throughout the expansive first movement and moreso in the more languid passages of the second.
It was as we segued into the finale that the excitement ramped up a further notch. As obliquely observed in the now legendary exchange between Eric Morecambe and Andre Previn, a concerto performance is often measured by the extent to which the soloist plays all the right notes and in the right order. This is not always entirely the case, however, and in a piece like the Rachmaninov a generous helping of passion can enable the pianist to get away with a fair few liberties with accuracy. This closing movement always carries a good deal of jeopardy, with the soloist basically having to put their foot down and go for it, leaving the conductor and orchestra to follow as best they can.
Here the effect was something like being on a particularly big rollercoaster and discovering, just as you go over the top, that you have forgotten to fasten your harness. This was genuinely thrilling stuff, with Tiempo steering a course as if along the edge of a cliff, straying from time to time perilously away from the confines of the score and, now and then, from the key in which the composer wrote it. He was not, however, working entirely without the aid of a safety net. We have learned before of the immense skill of Hindoyan and the RLPO in accompanying a soloist, and here they performed with absolute brilliance. There were some edge of the seat moments but the orchestra stayed right by his side as he headed for the concerto’s dramatic close. The orchestral textures are dense and its volume often loud, but Tiempo squeezed every decibel available from the Steinway to make himself heard above the orchestra right to the back of the hall.
The final bars propelled a large section of the audience out of their seats almost before the piece was over, and the enthusiasm of the rapturous reception left the soloist looking triumphant. Behind him the orchestra seemed to be breathing a collective sigh of relief that they all reached their destination simultaneously and unscathed, and the smiles on their faces were quite a picture. This was not a performance that you might want to have on record (it put me in mind of an old recording of Tchaikovsy’s B flat minor concerto, in which at one point it sounds as if Emil Gilels has fallen off the piano stool) but it made for absolutely top notch entertainment, and I doubt that many who were there will forget it in a hurry.
After the tempestuous waters of Rachmaninov, we found ourselves back on terra firma with Brahms’ second symphony. There is no doubting that Hindoyan has a great love of this score, with every phrase of it beautifully crafted and played with glorious detail and warmth. From the rocking chords and horn calls of the opening, the first movement broadened out into sunny optimism, with exceptionally fine playing across the board. The almost hymn-like quality of the second movement was beautifully rendered. In places the orchestration almost has the sound of an organ to it, and Hindoyan had the balance between strings and winds perfectly judged. There was a similar sureness of touch in the short, dancing third movement, before the finale burst into life from its mysterious opening bars. Here the architecture of Brahms’ music comes into its own, as this closing movement ties together all that has gone before and brings the piece to a rousing and triumphant end. Hindoyan’s reading of the symphony had both a clear grasp of its overall shape and tremendous attention to the tiniest detail, and the RLPO were on top form throughout.
All in all, a remarkable and memorable evening of music making that reinforces how the relationship of the orchestra and their conductor continues to grow and flourish in this second concert season together.
Star Rating: 4½ Stars
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| Sergio Tiempo |
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