Page 290 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

auditorium is therefore an excellent choice; allowed by the smaller
ensemble the closeness of the room not only helps render each
instrument with a greater clarity but gives the whole performance a
more intimate feel than a larger music hall.

Hindoyan also explains how the three pieces can be related by their
adherence to a much stricter musical form than one might expect
for this type of music. This is an insight which becomes readily
apparent as the performance continues, thanks in no small part to
the skill and precision of the musicians of the orchestra, repeatedly
demonstrating a control over, and engagement with, the material
and with their instruments.

The rise and fall of wind instruments in Dvorak’s Serenade builds to a
crescendo that could almost be at home in an overture before giving
way to the softer yet no less lively viola of
Hindemith’s Kammermusik – something which benefits greatly from
the acoustics of the smaller auditorium. The interplay between these
two short pieces very much highlights the relationship between
these works and why they, in particular, have been selected to
accompany the focal performance of Brahms’ Serenade No. 2. There
is certainly a degree of contrast, but also a strange symmetry
between the two.

The second half of the performance, following the interval, is devoted
entirely to Brahms’ Serenade – five movements over the course of
around half an hour. The piece is bright and lively for the most part,
though the lulls in certain movements – sometimes there may be
only one or two instruments vocalising at a time – make for a
pleasant contrast when they arrive. This piece – as
with Kammermusik before it – benefits greatly from the acoustics of
the room and even those lulls with scarce instrumentation never feel
too thin or quiet. Again there is an obvious contrast with the previous
two pieces in terms of its tone and the range of its movements,
however the structure remains recognisable and apparent
throughout.

The titular piece finishes with the swell of Rondo: Allegro, its final
movement, and rounds out a particularly memorable, and
particularly well performed, selection of music. The pieces were
excellently chosen and performed, as is often the case with the
musicians of the Liverpool Philharmonic, fantastically. Definitely a
very worthwhile performance.