Page 395 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

body of strings, the textures had clarity and transparency; using just a light vibrato to warm
the sound meant that real care had be taken to balance the sound.

Renowned harpsichord virtuoso Mahan Esfahani was the soloist in a world premiere from
composer Gavin Bryars. Expanding the orchestra to include percussion and some extra
brass, the strength of strings remained the same. This 27-minute concerto in one
continuous movement, with a strong sense of tonality, is a work of one colour. Whilst there
are variations in the hue, darkened with some dissonance, it has limited tempo variety,
ranging from slow to moderate. Although rather cinematic in nature, to the average concert
goer this could be too subtle to maintain one’s interest for its full duration. The initial three
episodes are clearly defined and have very individual characters. From the fifth identifiable
section, the music begins to wander and has an almost homogeneous character. The main
interest was in the harpsichord part, which tended to have a constantly moving line over
more homophonic orchestral textures. The limited programme notes mentioned that Bryars
allowed Esfahani carte blanche to add in melodic decorations the same as in Baroque
music.

Esfahani’s playing was superb throughout. Through the use of stops on his two manual
harpsichord, he changed the dynamics and timbres of the instrument, while carefully
considered writing from Bryars explored different sonorities — having both hands in the
high register or both hands at the extremes of the keyboard for example. Manze was very
skilled in balancing the delicate sound of the harpsichord against the orchestra, maintaining
balance throughout. Bryars, who was in attendance, was warmly received. A short encore
by Richard Rodney Bennett followed. Little Elegy; originally for piano, with its reflective
mood and gently melancholy, this lightened the mood after the rather more sombre
preceding concerto.

Sibelius’ First Symphony can be a tricky work to pull off convincingly. However, Manze
knows all the musical complexities and emotional struggles intimately. He gave a
performance which was utterly convincing and spoke immediately to the heart and soul.
Expanding the body of strings, a richness shone through the RLPO, intensifying the
expressiveness of the work. The tempi across the four movements were judiciously
executed to provide moments of vivid rhythmic contrast. The range of emotions stretched
from the reflective to the invigorating and from the dramatic to the embracing. The masterful
phrasing was beautifully and expressively executed, enhancing moments of sheer anguish
and solitude to the most dramatic manic ecstasy. This was the work of the season so far
with such excellent playing from the orchestra.