A concert at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta, was presented recently by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) under the direction of Mro Peter Stark. The programme included works which are practically unfamiliar to the Maltese stage, barring Brahms’s Symphony No 2 in D Major, which is a staple feature for all orchestras, including our own.
It is a well-known fact that the musicians that constitute our orchestra very often are asked to interpret a large amount of works that range from the baroque to modern or contemporary. These compositions require the bravura of the musicians and that of the music director, who must build a lively and friendly rapport that complements the works. Fortunately, the rapport between the musicians and Stark is excellent.
This was very evident in the works performed. The first was the Courtly Dances, from Benjamin Britten’s opera Gloriana.
Britten (1913- 1976) was commissioned to compose an opera to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne in the early 1950s. The dances take place in Act 2, Scene 3 of the opera, when Elizabeth I throws a ball and orders the dancers to perform the suite of dances which were very much in vogue at the time.
The dancers showed their mettle when they danced a march, a corante, a pavane, a morris dance, a galliard, a volta and a coda – all very much in demand in the Tudor period in Great Britain.
The orchestra and its director brought out the many nuances of the different dances, marking the emphasis and shades of meaning that differentiate between the slow pavane and the feisty corante, or the naughty volta danced with such vigour that the Queen ordered the dancers ‘to change their linen’. The march provided a frame to the suite.
This work, which I think did not include the trombone but which recognised the work done by the quartet of strings, ought to be included more often in the orchestra’s repertoire.
Next came the Juxtapositions for Orchestra composed by Marcos Fernandez. This work was one of the two compositions to share the first prize of the 2012 MPO Young Composer Competition.
A blazing finish which left everyone breathless
I loved the innovations presented in the score by the musicians. These made it possible for the orchestra to illustrate the bright colourful front, as opposed to more subdued, intimate moments. This was a contemporary work, yet its melodic line was clearly identifiable.
The audience must have loved it too, as the applause this work received was genuine. The different sections of the orchestra, such as the strings, the brass and the woodwinds, gave very good performances and showed their worth.Well done (the composer was present in the theatre to acknowledge the audience’s approval).
Next came the Harp Concerto by Alberto Ginastera (1916-1965). This is a very difficult work, but one which the orchestra and soloist Fabrice Pierre interpreted with great gusto.
It was the composer himself who stated that this Harp Concerto was the most difficult work he had ever written. It also requires great physical strength, as the soloist admitted to me during the interval.
This work follows the established format of a concerto with three movements – Allegro Giusto, Molto Moderato and Liberamente Capriccioso-Vivace. The percussion section was large and very demanding while a celesta was added to the orchestra. This gave the work a particular flavour, seeing that the movements were permeated with the taste of Argentinian traditional folk music.
I, especially, liked the second movement. The soloist had every opportunity to establish the harp as a very different instrument with sounds that differ immensely from that which we had assigned to it.
During this movement, the orchestra’s share was quite minimalistic, very different from the soloist’s participation which required a very demanding interpretation. The second movement merged directly into the third and last part of this interesting work.
The last work presented was Brahms’s Symphony No 2 in D Major. This four-movement work was composed by Brahms 20 years before he died. It has a very simple and humble opening.
A three-note theme played by the cellos and the basses was soon taken up by the horns, which played a pivotal part in this symphony. However, Brahms had other ideas and soon other themes followed.
In the following second movement – the Adagio non Troppo – the cellos once again had the pride of place as they introduced a rather dark theme. However, this was overcome by a lighter one introduced by the woodwind.
The third movement – Allegretto Grazioso – was described by Hanslick as a serenade. It is a ländler or a folk rustic waltz much loved by the Austrians. Once again, it was the cellos that stole the show. The three-note opening theme appeared once again introducing the 4th and last movement. After this quiet start, the movement exploded towards a blazing finish which left everyone breathless.
No wonder the maestro was greeted with shouts of bravo, bravo.