For an instant God opens His door and His orchestra plays the Fifth Symphony
A return visit to Birmingham mid-week, a chance to see family and, of a birthday treat a return to the Symphony Hall and the CBSO. The matinée concert consisted of three works: 'Threnody (in memory of Jean Sibelius)' by Grant William Still, Piano Concerto no2 by Prokofiev and, after the interval, Sibelius's mighty 5th Symphony. A cracking afternoon it was, with the CBSO in fine form under conductor Jonathon Heyward. The soloist in Prokofiev's fiery 2nd piano concerto was the Korean Yeol Eum Son. It was a dazzling performance of what, to me, sounded a virtuoso piece. A work that swings, violently at times, between Romanticism and Modernity. It was all very Russian; the influence of Mussorgsky evident, the Rachmaninov less so. (Though apparently it is there.)
And then the Sibelius. This I have to say is one of my favourite pieces of music. One that holds a special place in my imaginative and emotional life, as I suspect it does for many people. For Sibelius himself the composition took on a mystical aspect, as the quote at the beginning of this post demonstrates; as he wrote in his diary (21.05.1915) 'Today at ten to eleven I saw 16 swans. One of my greatest experiences! God, how beautiful....nature mysticism and the pain of life! The finale of the fifth symphony.....ligature in the trumpets!! This had to happen to me, who has been an outsider for too long. So I've been in a holy place today.' He is writing here of the great 'swan theme' or 'swan hymn' of the final movement, the moment the whole symphony has been building to, the moment of integration.
This was the first time I have the symphony heard it live, and I was not in anyway disappointed. A bright, sparky performance, I can't pick out any moments in particular as the whole thing was so immersive, rather like floating down a rapidly moving river, however I do remember how the finale was noticeably brighter and tighter than some recordings which tend to emphasize the 'pain of life' aspect. This finale, in this performance, was radiant, triumphant with 'nature mysticism'.
I think I will end this review with another quotation from Sibelius: 'Music is, for me, like a beautiful mosaic which God has put together. He takes all the pieces in his hand, throws them into the world, and we have to recreate the picture from the pieces.'
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