Steven Osborne was asked by William Chandler in the talk beforehand whether it was usual for a solo pianist to play two concertos in one concert. Quite usual one hundred years ago although he had only done it once before, he told us. He went on to say that the reason he was doing it was that they were both relatively short.
After his traditional welcome, Stéphane Denève told us that this was to be a French, German and Scottish concert. Why also Scottish? Both Steven Osborne, the pianist, and John Gracie, the trumpeter, were natives. William Chandler had earlier enthusiastically described the programme as a Shostakovich Sandwich.
In justifying a concert with an unusual configuration Stéphane Denève, now half way through his final season, explained that Shostakovich was 26 when he composed his first concerto - for Piano, Trumpet and Strings and he was 50 when he composed his second concerto. And in the same way Debussy was 25 when he wrote Printemps and 50 when he wrote Jeux: Poème Dansé.
Printemps was the second composition Debussy submitted to the Fine Arts Academy in Paris to justify his three year scholarship in Rome. They had not been impressed with the first and this, the second, was incomplete. Almost twenty years later Debussy commissioned Henri Büsser to orchestrate the work and this is what we heard. The first movement depicts the slow development of spring, the second its bursting into life.
Once the concert grand piano was put in place all that was left of the Orchestra was the string section. John Gracie, their highly respected Principal Trumpeter and as tradition has it, who sat at the front, came on with Steven Osborne and the Conductor for the first of Shostakovich’s concertos. The trumpet and piano work together and then compete with one another, all ending unexpectedly.
After the interval with the concert grand moved away we heard music Debussy had written for his ballet, Jeux. Stéphane Denève, ever enterprising, wanted us to understand the story and so it was told to us by way of green supertitles high above the Orchestra. How else would we have understood that the ballet was taking place in a tennis court with a young man and two young ladies, and their frolicking?
The evening’s fun concluded with Steven Osborne back on the piano stool for Shostakovich’s second Piano Concerto, written after Stalin’s death when he and his colleagues were gradually being restored to favour. It is romantic and light-hearted and a great way to end an intriguing concert.
Event: Friday 2 December 2011 7.30 pm