Boulez - Livres pour cordes (1948-49 arr 1968, rev 1989)
Messiaen - Poemes pour Mi (1936)
Bruckner - Symphony No 4 in E flat major (1874)
Obviously the 20th century works of Boulez and Messiaen did not appeal to the audience at the Barbican. The hall had many empty seats and some did not come back for the Bruckner after the interval (or maybe they were just 20th century music lovers - one could only hope)...
The evening started with the edgy Livre pour cordes by Pierre Boulez.... the piece reminded me of an interview with Alex Ross (the writer of The Rest is Noise) who describes much 20th century music as being known as 'horror movie' music.... and this piece would certainly fit into that niche.... perhaps because of its mercurial changes in textures and patterns; it certainly unnerves you but also enlivens. Exciting.
Now to the highlight of the evening and why I was here; to hear the wonderful soprano Sally Matthews (recently seen in Cavalli's La Calisto). And what a joy to hear this musical love letter that Messiaen wrote for his wife (the 'Mi' in 'Poemes pour Mi'). Daniel Harding, the conductor, describes this song cycle as Catholic jazz and certainly you can hear the spirituality intensely in this music. It is reverential, voluptuous, sensual and ecstatically beautiful. It reminded me of a Chagall painting... the one where he is flying over the city with his wife in a tender embrace.
This is a small extract from 'Poemes pour Mi' at it's most sensuous... 'The Necklace'.
Even though Sally Matthews was sometimes lost in the lush orchestration (though only rarely) this was an impassioned rendering of the text... with every word the meaning was torn out... no more like teased out. This was the most wonderful testament to marriage I have ever heard.
The night ended with Anton Bruckner's Symphony No 4 in E Flat Major which Bruckner himself named the 'Romantic' symphony. It brings to mind fairytale landscapes of crystalline mountains, dark forests and swift running rivers; indeed they were intensely romantic soundscapes. Perhaps a little too romantic for me. I prefer the edgier, personal work of the 20th century composers.
Catch this whilst you can on Performance on 3 on Radio 3 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00f124v but not for very much longer.
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