Jamie Phillips is building an enviable reputation for a young conductor and one which is thoroughly deserved on the evidence of this concert. He led the equally youthful BFO in a performance of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms which gripped the listener from the choir’s opening impassioned plea to God until the final hushed words of praise.
Praise too for the newly-formed BFO chorus which was introduced to us with an unscheduled bonus item of a Bach motet, firmly and joyfully sung. Stravinsky preferred children’s voices for the soprano and alto parts in the symphony but, apart from a handful of mature singers, the 40-strong chorus has young, fresh, voices and choirmaster David Todd ensured that we heard the type of sound the composer wanted. Stravinsky’s pungent and austere orchestration – no violins, violas or clarinets but two pianos and harp – is difficult to balance but Phillips managed admirably.
The orchestra excelled in Stravinsky’s Petrushka responding to the demanding score with crisp rhythms, some tangy woodwind playing and with the ballet’s characters and incidents vividly characterized. The complex musical strands in the hustle and bustle of the Shrovetide Fair scene were exciting but also well articulated. Bach’s third Brandenburg Concerto felt a bit out of place and having 10 string players using modern instruments meant the harpsichord was inaudible even from the third row. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, in Stokowski’s souped-up transcription for orchestra, went splendidly, played with total conviction but without vulgarity – despite any objections from Bach purists!
