Showcasing Bavarians' best

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra ****

Usher Hall (both concerts)


BEFORE listening to music that takes its shape from some sort of programme, a little advance homework does no harm.

As far as Richard Strauss is concerned, it is comparatively easy to work out some, if not all, of the incidents in which characters like Till Eulenspiegel or Don Quixote involve themselves. The subject matter of Also sprach Zarathustra is not quite as easy to come to terms with.

Conscious of the problem he was setting himself, Strauss let it be known that his symphonic poem was a free adaptation of some of Nietzsche's philosophical theories. The opening is straightforward enough. Symbolic of nature, it represents a magnificent sunrise. Later on, when the subject of learning crops up, he represents it by writing a fugue - that being commonly regarded as the most learned of musical forms.

What makes the work successful, however, is its sheer power as music. Under conductor Mariss Jansons, the Bavarians were able to captivate a large audience, regardless of whether or not the programmatic ins and outs of this or that section might have been clearly understood. Strauss's brilliant orchestration, with strings sometimes divided into 17 parts instead of the usual five, provided a splendid vehicle for a demonstration of virtuosity.

It is probably because the music of Sibelius is written in such a personal idiom that we have come to make the association with Finland. Jansons clearly has a great affection for the second symphony, and he is able to present it in a very thoughtful way that avoids extreme measures at key points. The second movement can at times seemed wayward under other conductors, but he maintained firm control over its ebb and flow. He also took good care to avoid overplaying the Finale.

The programme of the second concert brought a rather strange juxtaposition of Beethoven, Debussy and Shostakovich.

It opened with the Egmont overture. Ensemble playing in the slow introduction was exemplary. The strings were bounding with energy throughout and the concluding Symphony of Victory made a suitably rousing climax.

Above all things, La Mer calls for textural clarity of the most translucent kind. Every effort must be made to ensure that every detail of Debussy's sensitive orchestration may be heard.

The changing scenes of the opening movement were delicately presented and the performance contrasted the delicacy of the second movement against the sheer power of the third.

Having studied at the Leningrad Conservatory, it goes without saying that Jansons must be well versed in the music of Shostakovich. His approach to the fifth symphony turned out to be a very personal one. There were some fine solo contributions from all sections of the orchestra. In no way attempting to scale down the excesses of the first and last movements, he delivered them without indulging in excesses of decibels or speed. This once, the concluding bars had a rounded inevitability in place of what can so easily become frenzied assertiveness.

The first encore was quite simply a tour de force. The huge string section offered the so-called Serenade from Haydn's String Quartet, Op.3, No.5. Pianissimi were like gossamer and every nuance fell magically into place.