The American Experience (APO, 09/08/2012)

The American Experience (APO, 09/08/2012)

Adams The Chairman Dances

Rouse Der Gerettete Alberich

Copland Appalachian Spring Suite

Gershwin Porgy & Bess: Symphonic Picture (arr. Robert Russell Bennett)

Dame Evelyn Glennie (percussion), Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Eckehard Stier

As an opener we had 'The Chairman Dances' by John Adams. This composer-subtitled 'foxtrot for orchestra' is a sort of out-take from his 1987 opera 'Nixon in China' in which, first, Madame Mao dances, then is joined in a foxtrot by Chairman Mao. The orchestra coped well with the rigorous rhythmic requirements of the piece - notwithstanding a little bit of slightly soggy coordination towards the beginning, they were able to accurately render the patterned pulsing that seems to be a ubiquitous characteristic of most American minimalism. The piece (at probably just under a quarter hour long) overstays its welcome a little bit, the most interesting part being the way the full orchestra slowly crumbles until only percussion remains at the conclusion. Stier shaped the music well, bringing out the more lyrical episodes of the score.

The drawcard for this concert for me was the chance to hear Dame Evelyn Glennie in the flesh for the first time, and boy she didn't disappoint! 'Der gerettete Alberich' translates as 'Alberich saved', referring of course to the dwarf from Wagner's 'Der Ring des Nibelungen'. Rouse's piece begins with the last bars of 'Gotterdammerung' and throughout the rest of the piece Wagnerian leitmotifs make frequent appearances. The raison d'etre of the work is a sort of examination of what happened to Alberich after the Ring Cycle finishes. The soloist has a massive line-up of instruments to contend with - four wood blocks, four log drums, four tom-toms, two bongos, two timbales, a snare drum, a steel drum, a marimba, two guiros, a pedal-operated bass drum, and a drum set (list of instrumentation taken from Christopher Rouse's website). Glennie excelled completely - I don't think I have ever heard such alert and rhythmically accurate percussion playing in my life. Aside from accuracy, she also commanded amazing subtleties of dynamics and even phrasing over all of her varied instruments. Surely no one else has ever made a guiro sound so vocal. Her marimba playing in the slow central section was gorgeously shaped with some beautifully hushed playing. At the other end of the scale she made the most of the extended solo on drum kit, sounding like a rock-band drummer on steroids. In addition, Glennie was wonderful to watch on stage, all flowing yet absolutely judged movements, with a sense of somewhat unearthly elegance even as she hammered the drums fortissimo. A real tour-de-force performance of a piece written especially for her. She was expertly supported by the Auckland Philharmonia, playing what must be a relatively unfamiliar score with great confidence.

Following the interval were two mainstays of the American classical music tradition: Copland's Appalachian Spring and Gershwin's Porgy and Bess suite. The Copland is based on a ballet illustrating a rural American village celebration in the 19th century. As such, the American folk music influence is palpable - the Shaker folk song 'Simple Gifts' makes an appearance. The orchestra performed wonderfully; the string section playing particularly gloriously with an appropriately lean sound. Concertmaster Dimitri Atanassov provided some gorgeous violin solos. Stier set a flowing pace, never lingering too long in the slow moments.

The Copland was followed up by the popular Gershwin suite. The audience certainly loved it - each successive big 'tune' brought a murmur of recognition from the people around me. But I was a little disappointed in the performance. It's not a problem of technique (in fact, the playing was pretty much flawless throughout) - more an issue of style. For me, the Philharmonia were a bit too smooth and silky for the jazz and blues influences to make their full impact. In essence I'd love to hear the sound 'dirtied up' a bit.

All in all, though, I think the Auckland Philharmonia deserves to be proud of their achievement. The percussion section deserve particular praise for their performance (perfection in the long difficult xylophone solo at the opening of the Gershwin suite). I also think the programming was an interesting idea (two works by living American composers set against two older classics in the same tradition), although it unintentionally showed how little American orchestral music has developed in the interim. Most of all, the orchestra have provided Auckland a great service by bringing Dame Evelyn Glennie to perform a work especially written for her. Would like to have her back sometime, please!