It’s quite a treat to hear two works by the same composer filling an entire concert program. It gives the audience an opportunity to compare and contrast the works, to consider the scope of the composer’s musical vocabulary and creative development, and to appreciate the sweep of their lyrical imagination.
This scintillating performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra opened with Rachmaninoff’s huge Piano Concerto No 3. At around 45 minutes, this is a masterwork in every sense. It makes enormous demands on the soloist and orchestra and is considered one of the most technically demanding works in the concert repertoire. During his lifetime, Rachmaninoff was considered one of the world’s greatest pianists, so it’s not surprising that he wrote such complex piano scores.
Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes gave a sparkling performance, making each note shimmer, especially in the exhilarating first movement. It may be deemed allegro ma non tanto (fast but not too much) but Andsnes and conductor Edward Gardner kept up the pace. Andsnes demonstrated his dazzling technical skill, excelling at the rapid arpeggios and making the most of the intricate finger-work.
The second movement is more soulful, a musical picture of reflection and introspection. The pianist’s touch here was softer, more expressive, with long, lyrical lines and warmer colours. And then Andsnes was back in top gear for the frenzied finale, parrying with the orchestra, both pushing forward to the gloriously crashing conclusion.
Andsnes is a master of the Third, playing it with leading orchestras across the globe this season alone; that deep familiarity and understanding of the work shone through in this superb performance. It was indeed a triumph.
Not surprisingly, the appreciative audience rose to their feet as Andsnes and Gardner embraced, clearly well satisfied with the performance. The orchestra members too could hardly contain their joy at a job well done. A brief solo encore sent the audience off to interval knowing they had witnessed something very special.
After the interval, the orchestra was joined on stage by Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov and Russian soprano Kristina Mkhitaryan for another piece by Rachmaninoff, the symphonic choral work The Bells. The massed singers of the London Philharmonic Choir were seated above the Orchestra, aligned with the grand Festival Hall organ.
The Bells is a dramatic choral and orchestral work inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name. Each of the four movements portrays different emotions and varying stages of human existence. And as you would imagine, being based on Poe, it’s none too cheery. And it’s sung in Russian, making it more difficult to follow, even with the English translation in the concert program. Opera-style surtitles alongside the stage would make it easier to follow.
Popov stood to sing the solo in the first movement, ‘The Silver Sleigh Bells’. Feeling suitably Christmassy – there are mince pies in the shops already – it begins happily with “the little bells ring out”. But the mood soon changes as the bells “tell of oblivion”. The Orchestra and choir took the lead here with Popov seeming to lack a little projection.
Mkhitaryan added more emotion to her rendition of the second movement, ‘The Mellow Wedding Bells’. She sang with real warmth, her high notes filling the Hall, and added a little operatic colour with her stunning red evening gown.
The third movement, ‘The Loud Alarum Bells’, belongs to the choir and they gave a superb performance; indeed, their singing was excellent throughout, especially given the obvious challenges of mastering the challenging Russian text.
And then Lithuanian bass-baritone Kostas Smoriginas joined the Orchestra to give full voice to the rather dour final movement, ‘The Mournful Iron Bells’. The ending is inevitably rather subdued and you could feel this mood reflected in the appreciative, but not overwhelming, applause.
The size of this ambitious work is impressive with the organ, celeste, harp, multiple percussion players and a large orchestra; the huge choir of 100 or more; and the soloists all working together. Full credit goes to Edward Gardner for keeping a tight grip on proceedings (and his busy baton!)
Read: Music review: Concert 4: Szymanowski, Chopin and Mahler, The Barbican, London
Together, the Rach 3 and The Bells created a rich, multidimensional performance full of fiery virtuosity, emotional depth and sweeping orchestral power.
Edward Gardner conducts Rachmaninoff
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank London
London Philharmonic Orchestra with the London Philharmonic Choir
Conductor: Edward Gardner
Piano: Leif Ove Andsnes
Soprano: Kristina Mkhitaryan
Tenor: Dmytro Popov
Bass-baritone: Kostas Smoriginas
Edward Gardner conducts Rachmaninoff was performed for one night only on 28 September 2024.
