Brno Philharmonic
Conductor: Dennis Russell Davies
Pianist: Maki Namekawa
Cadogan Hall
Part of Cadogan Hall’s Zurich International Orchestra series, this concert presented an unusual programme in which two Czech composers bookended something very different from America.
First up was Janacek whose Lachian Dances, a very early work (1876), set the Czech scene. It was a bit odd, however, that six dances were detailed in the programme while Davies informed us, in his otherwise completely unnecessary introduction, that we were to hear just four. The opening “Old time dance” was tunefully businesslike and the minor key horns were good in “A Blacksmith’s dance”. Davies has an unshowy but incisive conducting style and is strong on dynamic contrast.
The most interesting item of the evening was Philip Glass’s Mishima Piano Concerto (2024). Soloist Maki Namekawa, who is married to Davies, has been involved with the development of this concerto which originated in a film score. She played this, its London premiere, bare footed with her music on an iPad. More or less in three movements it begins with lots of rippling arpeggios, impassioned playing by Namekawa, followed some nicely pointed trombone work and nifty snare drum. The middle section comes with wistful lyricism and an ethereal quality, reminiscent of Holst’s Neptune. She’s a player who communicates palpably with the orchestra, frequently turning left for eye contact. Her duet with cello, then picked up by woodwind was a high spot as were the cadenza of many moods and much rubato and the final chords with tubular bells. I look forward to hearing this concerto again and getting to know it better.
Thence, after the interval and the clearing away of the piano, to the rich familiarity of Dvorak’s seventh symphony played as competently as you’d expect from a Czech orchestra because this stuff is in their blood. Nonetheless it never quite packed the fresh fizz that I was hoping for possibly because the tempi were generally gentle. I liked, however, the vibrant double basses in the opening Allegro maestoso and the strings achieved real tenderness in the Poco adagio. The scherzo was fairly sparky and the unexpected mysterious “tip toe” moment in the final Allegro worked well. Davies brought out the major/minor tension and the brass section, especially trumpets, were allowed a field day.
Not, however, until the encore – a Dvorak Slavonic dance of course – did the Brno Philharmonic sound like a crack Czech orchestra enjoying itself. And it was glorious: loud, high octane and crazy.
