Music evaluate: SCO & Maxim Emelyanychev, Queen’s Corridor, Edinburgh
The SCO’s newest Baroque romp was numerous enjoyable, however there was additionally some deeply severe musicianship behind it, writes David Kettle
SCO & Maxim Emelyanychev, Queen’s Corridor, Edinburgh ****
Maxim Emelyanychev’s madcap Baroque-inspired live shows have gotten one thing of an annual fixture for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. And on the power of this yr’s freewheeling, unpredictable however immaculately delivered providing, that may solely be a very good factor.
Not solely was Emelyanychev’s mixture of repertoire illuminating – with discoveries and oddities in amongst extra standard fare – nevertheless it additionally confirmed the conductor at his bounding, bouncing finest, and the SCO gamers had been solely too glad to hitch within the enjoyable.
And a variety of enjoyable it was, however with deeply severe musicianship behind it – a reminder, if we would have liked one, that entertaining doesn’t must imply light-weight. There was nothing inconsequential, for instance, concerning the two Vivaldi concertos in Emelyanychev’s second half. RV558 is an over-the-top showpiece for collected recorders, lutes, early clarinets and even “ready” violins “in tromba marina” (tin foil caught niftily over the bridges to provide a deliciously rasping, brassy tone), and whereas Emelyanychev revelled within the piece’s sonic opulence, it was a efficiency jolted into life and crackling with electrical energy, joyful and vividly crafted.
The closing four-violin Concerto, RV580, was equally richly textured, bustling with vitality from 4 of the SCO’s front-desk fiddlers, and from Emelyanychev’s fullsome harpsichord realisation. In between, he turned up clutching a sopranino recorder for Hindemith’s preparations of historical French dances – extra restricted of their sonic ambitions, maybe, however partaking nonetheless.
Emelyanychev had opened the night with a nimble sprint by way of Grieg’s Holberg Suite, and the live performance’s oddity was the surprisingly angst-ridden, neo-expressionist Baroque Tune from French composer/organist Thierry Escaich – convincingly delivered, however tonally considerably out on a limb. The night’s spotlight, nonetheless, noticed Emelyanychev attacking his keyboard with fierce abandon in Górecki’s 1980 Harpsichord Concerto, a bit of (deliberately) infuriating repetitions but additionally mighty energy and vitality, which drove the SCO string gamers onerous and drew whoops from the group. What a night.
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