Page 247 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

concerto was astutely consigned to the desk drawer until 1957, when anti-formalist
doctrines had been adequately relaxed following the 1953 death of Stalin.

Ostensibly cast in four movements, the latter two linked by a cadenza, the concerto is in
relatively familiar 30-minute proportions, notwithstanding a few curiosities of
instrumentation. There was nothing predictable or formulaic about this utterly spellbinding
intensity of this performance, however. From his first entry to the last pages, Kanneh-
Mason played with searing passion and focus in his sound, and even at the concerto’s
quietest moments – most memorably the exquisitely gently floated top B in the first
movement – there seemed to be colossal energy in the music. Elsewhere, there was
frenetic vigour in the Scherzo and breathtaking cadenza, while also finding space to
accompany woodwind solos sensitively. From the orchestra, the trumpet solos stood out as
especially virtuosic. This was a devastating experience, making the strongest possible case
for the work to be heard more often.

Andrew Manze conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
© Gareth Jones
The remainder of the programme was merely excellent in comparison. Samuel Coleridge-
Taylor’s richly tuneful Ballade opened proceedings with strikingly crisp woodwind figures,
followed in turn by rollicking and sumptuous passages full of wild and fresh energy. The
later performance of Elgar’s First Symphony was similarly high-octane. Andrew Manze is a
remarkably demonstrative conductor, seeming to signal the character of almost every cue
with some flick of a wrist of twitch of an eyebrow. With tempos generally brisk and dynamics
loud for the symphony, the effect here was to create a bold reading, even if it was
occasionally at the expense of some textural clarity.