'The other arts persuade us, but music takes us by surprise' – Eduard Hanslick, 19th-century Austrian critic.
The above quotation may certainly apply, having listened to this evening's programme, in particular, to symphony number 9, 'Great'. Here we heard not only graceful sound but also the creation of particular dramatic and pictorial effects through a most technically accomplished performance by members of the orchestra, under the direction of a conductor who provided interpretation at the highest possible level.
The first movement (consisting of five large sections of approximately equal length), Andante – Allegro ma non troppo, preceded by a slow andante introduction had the functions of initial solo horns giving way to the entire orchestral mass, and partly in generating the principal motifs of the sonta-form allegro. Throughout this movement, and indeed the remaining three movements, Schubert relied heavily on harmonic richness and colouring, likened to a painter blending colours to build up a picture. Moreover, the timbre of instruments and their combinations, coupled with an exquisite portrayal of both works by Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, under the, at times, most animated of conductors, Marc Minkowski, certainly provided the Usher Hall audience with a vivid orchestrally painted picture.
Schumann described symphony number 9 as the 'Symphony of heavenly length,' perhaps the adjective 'heavenly' should have applied to symphony rather than length. Interesting to note however, that the duration of the first movement of symphony number 9 (second half of programme) was a few minutes less than the performance of symphony number 3 in its entirety (first half).
Time: Thursday 15th August, 2013 at 7.30pm