We feel safe at the same time as being thrilled listening to this orchestra under Wigglesworth. A gripping listen throughout. When Wigglesworth turns to take his bow, his smile is as wide as his baton is long.
A big night for Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Poole, Dorset. Mark Wigglesworth took to the stage as the orchestra’s new chief conductor, with a programme including Walton’s Symphony No. 1.
Wigglesworth is well-loved, consistent, and reliable, with an impressive CV of international engagements. His recording back catalogue leans heavily into Shostakovich – his work with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales rewards with delicious textural detail especially in Symphony No. 10. With a new appointment at the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra recently announced, and his book about conducting now available in Chinese, Wigglesworth is a valuable international export. In addition he manages to retain the same youthful spirit he possessed at the beginning of his career. He is, in many respects, the complete package.
On stage his conducting style packs a punch, drawing distinct colours and textures from the strings and exacting detail from the brass. He demands considerable dynamic range from the orchestra and is a master of the slow burn — most notably in the build to the climax in the Wagner Meistersinger Overture. There are times when the detail slips in the Walton Symphony. It’s difficult to know exactly why this is given that the ensemble as a whole (and the strings in particular) are incredibly hard working, and the direction so demonstrative. In the Walton Symphony last movement these slips are most noticeable in the sudden loss of clarity in flourishes. But what’s noteworthy is how quickly focus returns suggesting a collectively high level of listening and flexibility in the moment. We feel safe at the same time as being thrilled listening to this orchestra under Wigglesworth. A gripping listen throughout. When Wigglesworth turns to take his bow, his smile is as wide as his baton is long.
The Wagner Meistersinger overture has muddy nervous feel during the opening, but a resolute horn cue sets the orchestra on course. Detail is prioritised and uplifting celebrations follow. No section dominates; everyone responds with due deference revelling allowing the detail to shine forth. Wigglesworth seems to summon the sound from the ground beneath him rather than beating time or giving direction, promising something special in the two hours that follow.
This precision in articulation, colours and textures in discernible in Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, given by Nicholas McCarthy, who is bold and sensitive when the score demands. He has the most devastating impact creating intense moments in the lyrical sequences, drawing the listener in with a generous spirit and a delicate touch.
In Walton’s Symphony No. 1 the BSO are in fifth gear — a world away from what I recall seeing and hearing in Portsmouth weeks before the first lockdown in 2020.
There’s an unshakeable Sibelius vibe throughout the opening movement found in the oft repeated small melodic motif and tension building pedal note. But Walton transforms this tribute into an epic drama with thundering strings, punctuating brass and swirling woodwind. The strings in particular are a hard working bunch, evidenced by the way front and back desks of the firsts are matched in the amount of bow they use. There is here again a slight loss of detail in the loud sequences of the first movement but the ensemble and articulation is electrifying in the second movement presto.
The focus seems to slacken the third movement slightly as though we’re not quite sure where our attention should rest. This maybe down to the material Walton has written that seems to flutter from one instrument to another. When it finally settles as heard in the broad string expanse then we feel as though we’re on safer terrain. The woodwind material in the score feels as though it’s somehow unfinished, upside down or unsure of itself — the musical equivalent of a tortured distant relative giving a musical turn at a family gathering that is appreciated but misunderstood.
The fourth movement is tour de force stuff with Wigglesworth demonstrative and clear. Sometimes the string ensemble lags with some of that finer detail Walton has scored lost in the melee. The brass articulation provides a much needed anchor in those sequences where the string articulation again feels a bit muddy. Yet, the fugues are solid and exhilarating, demonstrating that high level of listening and collective ability to make adjustments in the moment.
This was a riveting performance that held attention throughout and rewarded with something powerful and visceral.
