EN OMREJSENDE REKLAME
Med Poul Ruders orkesterstykke, "Concerto in Pieces" havde Radiosymfoniorkestret et flot, nyt, dansk værk på plakaten til den netop overståede Skandinaviensturné med deres chefdirigent, Ulf Schirmer. Torsdag mundede den ud med en koncert i Radiohusets koncertsal.
"Concerto in Pieces" er skrevet i 1995 til BBC Symphony Orchestra, som en opfølgning af Brittens "Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra".
Stykket fungerer både som et imponerende og levende orkesterstykke og som pædagogisk introduktion til instrumenterne i et moderne symfoniorkester.
I bogen "Orkestrets Verden", der på dansk er udgivet på Høst & Sæns forlag og sidste år blev anmeldt i Kristeligt Dagblad, er en cd med poul Ruders orkesterstykke indlagt som en attraktiv introduktion.
"Concerto in Pieces" er skrevet som variationer over heksekoret fra Purcells opera "Dido og Æneas". Et veloplagt tema med fuga-tendenser og fart over feltet i de gentagne staccato toner.
"Concerto in Pieces" er ikke bare en fanfare, en levende reklame for det orkester, der måtte spille det. Der dvæles også ved det store orkesters forskellige instrumentgrupper med indsmigrende og tænksomme melodiske og klanglige variationer.
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FOR PURCELL AND BRITTEN, A TRIBUTE WITH COMEDY
Andrew Davis ended his concert on Thursday with a hearty and humorous account of Elgar's "Enigma" Variations. Full of life and history, this was a grand parade of tonal splendor, various enough to bring forward the passing shades of 19th-century masters: Brahms, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Verdi. the orchestra sounded just wonderful.
So they did, too, in the gentler passages of Grieg's Piano Concerto though the soloist, Louis Lortie, was most impressive when he could make a big, resplendent sound. A memory lapse at the start of the cadenza seemed to make him redouble his viruosity in fury at himself.
The tasty starter was "Concerto in Pieces" by Poul Ruders, the Danish composer who appears capable of anything, in this case a 17-minute set of Purcell variations made to vigal Britten's "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra". Mr. Ruders selects a different theme, the "Ho, ho, ho" witches' chorus from "Dido and Aeneas", which makes for comedy not only by its absuridty but also by the ease with which it disintegrates into scales ripping up and down through the orchestra.
Near the start, the cellos incautiously suggest the melody Britten chose, but they think better of it, and seem to be whistling innocence in thir ensuing pizzicatos. Later there are slow solos for saxophone, tuba and trumpet, but the general tone remains spirited and crazy, and the piece will surely soon be ho-ho-hoing in cocnert halls all over. Mr. Davis had the orchestra working at glorious full stretch here too.
FANFARE FOR AN UNCOMMON BAND
At first sight this looks like another example of DK's standard high-quality fact-books. There is a long detailed section on how orchestras work (including the conductor) with close-up pictures and complex explanations set out in well organised paragraphs. You learn how to obtain a vibrato , you see different bows and mouthpieces, the underside of a guitar soundboard,k the workings of trumpet valves and mucn more. Lively explanations such as "the bass clarinet sounds the way burnt rubber smells" or "the contrabassoon like a gentle snore" help where space is limited.
There is also a history of (essentially) western "classical" music strung out along a sinuous timeline that snakes over eight illustrated double-page spreads. Explanations hre are brief and it probably doesn't edify you that much to have the Ring cycle summarised in 20 words. But even the small pictures are enlightening if closely scrutinised. Palestrina giving a new work to the Pope, the Esterháza Palace where haydn found his patron, Ravel gazing contemplatively from the keyboard, Toru Takemitsu's noble head - these don't tell much about the music itself but they show something of the people and places it came from. it's good to see such recent landmarks as Turnage's "Three Screaming Popes" and Boulez' "... explosante-fixe" being adventurously pointed out.
But the book's real distinction is the accompanying CD. This features a new piece by Poul Ruders, "Concerto in Pieces". As its title suggests, this a concerto for orchestra, giving many opportunities for instrumental groups to strut their stuff. It's also a set of 10 variations on an original theme by Purcell. If that reminds you of Britten, you're right. Ruders's work is a 50th anniversary tribute to the "Young Person's Guide" as well as a celebration of Purcell's tercentenary. Ruders, one of the most exciting composers in Europe, is well served byu the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Davis, who also contributes a lively analytical and descriptive talk.
The piece is easily apporachable through the numbered CD tracks, cross-referenced throuhgout the book. The commentary draws our attention to orchestral and structural features, to instrumental colours and to the effects such as brass hocketing in the third variation, the bluesy alto sax wavering against distorted gongs and bells in the fourth or the col legne cellos playing against muted trumpets in the eighth. Like the Britten, the work ends in a tremendous fugue with the Purcell theme emerging triumphantly at the climax. Listen to it for national curriculum Attainment Target 2 if you like, but listen to it anyway.
Ho, ho ho
Poul Ruders skrev i 1995 sin "Concerto in Pieces" til det engelske BBC, som dels hyldest til 300-års fødselaren Henry Purcell, dels en moderne pendant til Benjamin Brittens pædagogiske orkester-guide "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra". I den sidste egenskab har stykket - også herhjemme - været udgivet på CD som tillæg til Neil Ardleys lærebog "Orkestrets Verden", men ikke før på almindelig musik-CD, og Ruders' på samme tid imødekommende og veloplagte variationer over heksenes "Ho, ho, ho" fra Purcells opera "Dido og Æneas" er også ved denne lejlighed den pure fornøjelse. Ruders' faste amerikanske pladeselskab har koblet hans værk med en indspilning af den amerikanske komponist melinda Wagners Pulitzerpris-vindende koncert for fløjte, strygere og slagtøj, en mere traditionelt anlagt koncert hvor fløjtens udtryksfuldhed sættes op imod en masse rytmisk energi. Og så er der som en særlig bonus til sidst interviews med de to komponister, hvor Poul Ruders på udsøgt engelsk og med vanlig tør humor fortæller om sig selv og sit værk.