Page 405 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

Vasily Petrenko
© Svetlana Tarlova

Phantasma begins with what the composer calls “a kind of knocking signal in the claves
over slow string chords” relating to the secret code visitors were required to use to access
Klimt’s atelier; this was the first of many striking features in the work. Deutsch's imaginative
use of large orchestra provides some atmospheric sounds, a musical equivalent of Klimt’s
sumptuous use of colour. The dramatic centre of the work clearly relates to the struggle of
the “genii” of the frieze to pass the monster Typhoeus and other hostile forces. Throughout
there were delicate motifs and rich harmonies which drew the listener into the piece. The
RLPO and Petrenko gave a committed performance and the composer, who was present,
must have been delighted.

There was a change of soloist and programme for the second piece in the concert. Jennifer
Johnston stepped in at short notice to replace an indisposed Adela Zaharia. Johnston is a
Liverpudlian herself and is well-known to audiences at the Philharmonic Hall. On this
occasion she gave a radiant account of Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen. Her
voice was rich and powerful, her enunciation exemplary. The four songs have an outdoor
feel to them with many references to birds, flowers and trees. Petrenko and Johnston
proved a fine partnership in depicting the sounds of nature including the singer’s
representation of the birdcalls and the orchestra’s tinkling to portray the harebells. The
single word “Sonnenschein” filled the hall radiantly. And yet, there is sadness behind the
joy. The torment of the third song was forcefully expressed and the subtler resignation at
the end of the fourth was represented exquisitely.

During his 15 years as Chief Conductor, Petrenko built up the RLPO's formidable reputation
in big Russian symphonies (Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich) and I was keen to
hear his performance of Scriabin’s Symphony no. 3 in C minor, “The Divine Poem”. It was
written in the early years of the 20th century and took us back to the highly perfumed,
intense world of Central European artistic activity in which Klimt was painting. From the
opening grand gesture Petrenko took the audience on a journey through a series of
majestic scenes. He elicited intense playing, spotlighted lively rhythms and allowed
unexpected pauses to illuminate the music. The array of horns ranged above the orchestra
looked and sounded magnificent. The ecstatic conclusion was thrilling. For all the strengths
of this performance, however, Petrenko could not conceal the work's longueurs,
meandering aimlessly. If only Scriabin had edited it a little!