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Gauk
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« on: April 13, 2016, 12:52:58 pm » |
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I went along to hear Sir James's latest orchestral work "The Death of Oscar" (after Ossian) last Friday. Stéphane Denève conducted the RNSO, and it was the UK premiere (it has been played twice before, in Germany and the USA).
This may be MacMillan's most romantic piece yet. The work can be divided more or less into three sections separated by large climaxes. The first is a brooding introduction with a prominent part for tuba; the second is a jaunty march, and the last a sad elegy featuring solo cor anglais. It is interesting to note that though the composer has moved from modernism to a sort of expressionistic neo-romanticism, I think there is still a common identifiable voice in both his early and latest works. Which is as it should be ...
It was rather a clever concert programme, starting with Debussy's "March Écossaise" - preceded by a piper playing the original Earl of Ross march. Then the MacMillan and then Ravel's left hand concerto with Stephen Osborne (whom I admire) as soloist. After the interval, "Tod und Verklärung" and "La Valse".
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