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Phone: 0871 663 2597
Website: www.southbankcentre.co.uk/oae
Email: info@oae.co.uk
When it comes to conducting orchestras, age is nothing but gain: some of the best conductors are in their 80s. Roger Norrington is a mere stripling at 75 but he is in fine fettle. He’s a lively polemicist on behalf of what he calls “historically appropriate” performance, which requires an all-but-zero tolerance of vibrato. It’s a moot point, however, if this birthday concert, which included a resounding tribute from Jonathan Miller, was the best showcase for his ideas.
In a career spanning nearly 50 years, Norrington has embraced repertoire from the 17th Century to the 20th, so no single concert could offer more than edited highlights. The earliest music was by Heinrich Schütz, who gave his name to the Schütz Choir, founded by Norrington in 1962. Itwas on hand for some unaccompanied choral pieces, but the mood was barely set before it was time to move on.
And so it continued. Two orchestras shuffled on and off, each reflecting different aspects of Norrington’s work: the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) made the case for period instruments, while the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (Norrington is its Principal Conductor) showed how his ideas worked on modern instruments.
The OAE gave us an overture by Bach, Stuttgart offered single movements from symphonies by Brahms and Beethoven. Such bittiness recalls Classic FM. Not that there weren’t thrills.
Mozart’s overture to Idomeneo (the OAE again) had bite and nervy energy, while severely restricted vibrato paid rich dividends in the Adagietto from Mahler’s Fifth, the Stuttgart strings sounding slightly dry but always crisp. Elgar’s Enigma Variations, the only work played complete, made the greatest impact, the Stuttgart players producing a cushion of sound less plush than we’re used to but keeping the colours intact. The birthday boy had proved his point.
To be broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 7pm tomorrow.
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