The CBSO’s current master plan is to work through years leading up to its centenary in 2020 with specific years targeted, giving scope for a fascinating mish-mash of styles, composers, experiments, well-loved compositions and some which will eventually disappear.
This year 1912 is a typical example of an overview of a period in various aspects.
‘Valses nobles et sentimentales’ has, for years, been a CBSO/Ravel party piece which conductor Oliver Knussen no doubt appreciates. He could have risked more mystery, more breath between moods, even more pianissimos . . . giving space for players’ personal expression. However, we eventually travelled through the far east, heard lovely woodwind solos and sank breathlessly into the final dying ‘niente’ (nothing).
Knussen’s ‘Whitman Settings’ gave scope for soprano Claire Booth, enthusiastic and communicative with impeccable expression and wonderfully centred astronomically high notes.
But why was the text mostly totally incomprehensible? Without programme notes the listeners are flying blind. Drawn-out vowels launched into the stratosphere were unintelligible nonsense.
Berg’s ‘Five Songs to Postcard Texts’ were mercifully short, not so much jewels as shards of glass with sound effects, such as two inaudible snare drums with brushes (why?), plodding basses playing below the bridge, numerous eerie solos.
All there with the superb soprano however: what a star!
Finally dear Debussy’s ‘Nocturnes’. Impressionism at its best. However, the 68 CBSO choir girls’ voices were hardly ethereal in ‘Sirènes’ . . . too many, too prosaic and why not ‘off stage’ for that magical effect?
