Academy Chamber Orchestra
Trevor Pinnock
Duke’s Hall, Royal Academy of Muisc
25 October 2024
It is a real privilege to hear a talented group of young aspirant professionals working with, and responding to, a musician of Trevor Pinnock’s gentle but inspirational calibre. As he said himself, at the end of the concert, technique is only the starting point. What matters is the development of the collective thinking which leads to musical joy. “And wherever you are in your music career, we all learn at every concert. It’s infinite” he said.
In the elegance of Duke’s Hall which has a pleasing acoustic and was almost full for this concert, we began with Brahms’s variations on a theme of Haydn. I’ve never seen double basses tucked in so tightly next to first violins and a long way from the cellos but it enabled Pinnock to draw out colourful detail which might otherwise have been lost. Moreoever, the leader of the double basses, Ahouo Werenskioid Mandan, exudes engaging musical charisma.
Pinnock, batonless and unassuming, often smiling and clearly enjoying himself, delivered all the variations with fine balance. There was delightful work from contrabassoon and the piccolo worked plenty of magic at the end of this evergreen, very satisfactory and cheerful piece.
The second work was Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” fourth symphony and I admired the clarity of the upper strings at their first entry which is very exposed. Thereafter in the first movement there was some fine bassoon work and the modulatory passages were played with exciting tension into the storm. The vivace was then distinguished by well articulated woodwind playing, particularly from the oboe.
This adagio is arguably one of the most sublime melodies ever written and it was played on this occasion by these young people with such delicacy and intelligence that I had to blink away tears, especially when we reached the climactic horn solo: splendid playing.
The Allegro vivacissimo goes like the wind and is one of those “see you at the end” movements but Pinnock ensured that it felt precise and never rushed. The woodwind pulsing was engagingly slick and Christian Inman, on timps with hard sticks, did a good job. And again there was lovely playing from the horn in the final maestoso – right at the top of the texture, exactly as it should be.
