CityLife

Malmo Symphony Orchestra: Grieg, Martinsson, Sibelius

PURE northern light shone in the Bridgewater Hall on Sunday night, as the Malmö Symphony Orchestra was introduced to Manchester by its principal conductor, Vassily Sinaisky.

His qualities as a conductor are well known here – but his soulful instincts, in combination with the cool, clear sound of the Swedish musicians, makes for a marvellous result.

The concert was a triumph in particular for a composer who is Malmö’s own, Rolf Martinsson, with the UK premiere of his Orchestral Songs.

They were sung by that present-day Swedish nightingale, Anne Sofie von Otter, herself making her debut at the Bridgewater Hall.

Auspicious

All in all, it was an auspicious evening, and the new work (it was only heard for the first time, in Copenhagen, a few days ago) would have been a revelation to those who expect new music always to be difficult.

Rolf Martinsson creates sounds that are genuinely beautiful: in this case using the poems of the 19th century American recluse, Emily Dickinson, which are almost haiku-like in their simplicity.

He takes the task straightforwardly, rarely using full orchestra but with a wealth of delicate, often magical sounds created through selective use of its resources. The percussion, in particular, are kept busy.

The style is post-atonal and neo-Romantic. Think Colin-Matthews-meets-Delius, if you want English connections.

Brilliance

He’s not afraid to illustrate naïve texts in a naïve way – ‘Thunder’, it says, and the accompaniment is a crash – nor to go for filmscore timbres. He writes concisely and ends the cycle with a flash of brilliance.

It hardly needs saying that the quality of the singing was amazing. What a versatile and lovely instrument Anne Sofie’s voice is, and how animated her presentation.

After his initial thoughtful exploration of movements from both suites of Grieg’s Peer Gynt music, Sinaisky filled the second half of the concert with Sibelius’s second symphony.

He made it into a showpiece for his orchestra – particularly in the warmly voiced brass chords, the excellence of the string tone and the piquancy of the wind solos.

Triumphant

It was a noble interpretation, too, with a finale whose coda he steered with inexorable determination to its triumphant close.

And then there were the encores. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Valse Triste articulated with quite such care and imagination.

Tweet