St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch
Haydn – Symphony no.101 in D
major, ‘The Clock’
J.C. Bach – Sinfonia concertante
in E-flat major, WC 41
Mozart – Symphony no.4 in D
major, KV 19
Handel – ‘Dettingen’ Te Deum,
HWV 263
This final Spitalfields
Festival concert promised a taste of ‘Georgian London – Global Metropolis’,
each of the works being written for eighteenth-century London (well, perhaps in
the case of the Mozart symphony), although at different times. There was much
to enjoy, even if, as a whole, the programme worked somewhat awkwardly. I could
not help but wonder if Stephen Layton would have been better off programming
another choral work, and losing one or two of the orchestral pieces, since his
strengths undoubtedly lie in the former realm.
For that reason, the greatest
work on the programme, Haydn’s Symphony no.101, fared least well. The first movement’s
introduction had an air of mystery, albeit with decidedly low vibrato: that,
despite an acoustic that ought to have alleviated the worst of ‘authenticke’
excess. That acoustic rendered the Presto
exposition proper too much of a scramble, fine detail too often lost. There was
little in the way of sonata form dynamism. Perhaps surprisingly, the slow
movement fared better: characterful, with meaningfully darker passages well
integrated. The minuet, alas, failed to smile, and its trio failed even slightly
to relax. Still, the nature of the material and many of its implications were
clear. The finale was certainly fast yet somehow remained ponderous; like so
much of what we had heard previously, it lacked the life that great Haydn
conductors such as Jochum, Klemperer, or Davis brought to this music. The City
of London Sinfonia’s woodwind proved a euphonious joy throughout.
We do not hear much of Johann
Christian Bach’s good-natured if somewhat interchangeable music. Layton presented
an affectionate reading of this Sinfonia concertante, in which again the CLS
wind proved excellent soloists indeed. The first movement was welcoming in
spirit, even before the soloists entered. Shortcomings, such as they were,
related more to the work itself. A siren following on from the final note
offered amusement. It was a relief not to have the Larghetto taken absurdly fast, as is increasingly the norm in such
music. Instead, it seemed imbued with the spirit of the outdoor serenade, even
looking forward to Mozart. Much the same could be said of the closing Minuet,
stylishly and warmly performed.
I am reasonably sure that
this was the first time I had heard Mozart’s Fifth Symphony in concert. Layton
and the CLS proved alert in the first movement, possessed of a winning, if
small-scale, swagger. A sense of the exploratory was certainly apt. The slow
movement might have exuded greater warmth – we felt distant indeed from Böhm
and the Vienna Philharmonic – but spoke sensibly enough for itself. Youthful
ebullience characterised the finale, although balances were less than ideal. It
was difficult, moreover, to discern much affection for the composer and his
work in Layton’s merely efficient direction.
No such reservations for
Handel’s ‘Dettingen’ Te Deum. Ashley Riches and Polyphony made their mark
magnificently, in vocal contributions as incisive as they were sonorous.
Georgian militarism – John Brewer’s Sinews
of Power – was announced loud and clear, trumpets and choir responding to
and inciting one another. Handel’s borrowings amused rather than irritated. An
excellent command of rhythm was proportionate with harmonic development.
Expectations were aroused and fulfilled. This, at least, proved a thrilling,
resoundingly musical conclusion not only to the concert but to the festival as
a whole.
