With the arrival of Autumn comes cooler temperatures, darker evenings, and my wife starts looking at the central heating, but there is another seasonal thing to look forward to, and that is the programme of the London Philharmonic Orchestra that takes place at the Festival Hall in London.
Clearly, I was not alone in thinking like this, as the hall was almost filled to capacity, and there was a palpable sense of anticipation, as the lights were dimmed and the conductor, Edward Gardner took to the stage.
The first piece, called ‘Ringed by a Flat Horizon’, a complex piece written in 1980, was composed by the Festival Hall’s Composer in residence, Sir George Benjamin, and was inspired by lines taken from T S Eliot’s epic poem, the Waste Land. The fifth and final section, ‘What the Thunder Said’. I have to confess that it was not to my taste, I found it a little jarring, but what do I know? I am an old fuddy duddy, and musical history is littered with critics eating their words a few years later.
The highlight of the evening had to be Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, and we were treated to the playing of acclaimed pianist, Yefim Bronfman, and what a treat it was. From the opening notes it was clear that we were in good hands, and the London Philharmonic were on top form.
The piano grabbed our attention and didn’t let go, we were in the presence of a master, the music both joyous and divine. The Adagio was simply glorious, calming and swept the audience away.
I wondered if the LPO had missed us as much as we missed them?
As if the Emperor Concerto wasn’t enough and following unceasing applause the audience were given an encore, where Bronfman gave us a virtuosa solo performance that held us entranced. The audience responded with applause that threatened never to end. What an evening, and we still had the second half to come. Truly LPO you are spoiling us.
After the interval we resumed our seats happily sated from what we had heard, and we settled down to listen to Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 5 in E Minor, Op 64.
Four movements, each thrilling, this was a piece that I was not familiar with, although there is something about Tchaikovsky that is unmistakeable from the ballets that have used his music.
In the first movement, sombre gravitas at the outset becoming more joyful, with building urgency, then lulled, then building again to a crescendo, the massed strings magnificent under Gardner’s taut conducting. The second movement, brooding and haunting pierced by the woodwind held us spellbound in our seats with its melancholy and tenderness, then building and building until the music filled the auditorium. Surely this was what the Festival Hall was built for? The third, movement felt like the music of the ballroom, tripping, as the piercing notes of the violins and the rich deep sounds of the viola combined in haunting melody.
The final movement provided a magnificent finish that was met by the audience, cheering, clapping and stamping their feet. What an evening it had been.
If you are looking for a gift for the music lover in your life, I can recommend an evening at the Royal Festival Hall.