Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Oration (Concerto elegiaco) (1929-1930)
Cheryl Frances-Hoad (b.1980)
Cello Concerto ‘Earth, Sea, Air’ (2022)
Sir William Walton (1902-1983)
Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1955-1956 rev. 1975)
Laura van der Heijden (cello)
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Ryan Wigglesworth
rec. 2023, Grand Hall, City Halls, Glasgow, UK
Chandos CHSA5346 SACD [82]
Since winning the 2012 BBC Young Musicians Competition at the age of 15 Laura van der Heijden has developed an international career. This is her first concerto disc for Chandos having previously released two discs of works for cello and piano for them. The producers have not skimped on the music with three full length concertos. At 82 minutes it pushes what can be fitted onto a CD. It is good to have these performers document Chery Frances-Hoad’s concerto which they premiered last year. It is also good to have van der Heijden’s current thoughts on the Walton concerto as she played it in the finale of the BBC competition as a teenager.
As a pacifist, Bridge had not enlisted in WW1 though that did not stop that terrible event and its aftermath from affecting him deeply. His Oration subtitled ‘Concerto Elegiaco’, is his heartfelt cry against the futility of war and its aftermath. An oration is defined as ‘a formal speech particularly used in ceremonial or formal occasions’. Here the cello is the orator who is sometimes declaiming and defiant and sometimes seemingly so moved by the immensity of the task that it is a struggle to get the words out. There are ghostly funeral marches alternated with outbursts of terror and indignation. The work is both an elegy for the fallen, and an anguished warning to the future. Although the work was first performed by the 23-year-old Florence Hooton, I have in the past only heard men play this work who have often appeared hectoring. Here in van der Heijden’s hands I hear a much more lyrical side to the material. This is all to the good as from her first almost imperceptible opening note she draws us into the work and holds our attention throughout. She more than holds her own against the sometimes-violent outburst from the orchestra. The BBCSSO are on tremendous form throughout. Heer it comes across as a compelling work that does not deserve the neglect it has suffered. But the composer decision to end the work, perhaps optimistically, in D major, which considering what has happened earlier is not entirely convincing.
Cheryl Frances-Hoad’s Cello Concerto is a 20-minute work in three movements which as in the Bridge are played without a break. The work was written for Laura van der Heijden and it was her idea that the concerto be related in some way to the environment. In the end the inspiration came from three disparate aspects of the natural world: the imaginary flight of a swift; phytoplankton (algae) in the ocean; and volcanoes. The liner notes go into great detail about these inspirations and that is all well, for the composer, but for myself I could not hear any of these extramusical ideas. That did not stop me from enjoying the work. Cheryl Frances-Hoad studied the cello at the Menuhin School and clearly knows the instrument inside out. Over the course of a now extensive career she knows what sounds she wants from her large orchestra and how to get them. It is a beautifully laid out between soloist and orchestra. The cello has some soaring melodies in its extreme upper register which the soloist approaches fiercely. Throughout the composer allows the cello to sing and that plays to the best of the soloist’s skills. There are some gigantic sounds from the orchestra but also magical, delicate moments with just a few instruments playing, particularly tuned percussion and harp, that appear and disappear like thoughts. Built up chords in the brass and wind and brilliantly managed by the conductor, who balances the myriad sounds impeccably. You do not need the programme notes to realise it is a beautifully organic work that celebrates our planet in an instantly communicative way. In an interview Ms Van Der Heijden said this was the first concerto written for her, I hope there will be many more.
After the Elgar the Walton is probably the most performed British cello concerto and one of the most performed cello concertos; an instrument with quite a limited repertoire. It is full of heart-breaking melodies and of course Walton’s stunning orchestration. At its premiere however it was quite poorly received particularly by British critics who thought it dated and stale; they were wrong. Written for Gregor Piatigorsky, who like Jascha Heifetz before him, had a great deal of input into the work, it is tough to bring off. The melancholic opening movement leading to a quick silver scherzo and theme and improvisations all have their challenges both musically and technically.
As with the Oration our soloist goes for an entirely appropriate lyrical approach to the work. She emerges from the openings lilting chords allowing the questing melody to unfold in a wholly natural way. The climaxes are carefully judged and the balance between soloist and orchestra are impeccably managed. The quicksilver scherzo has some tricky entries but there is a dynamic interplay, and these are beautifully crafted by Mr Wigglesworth. He follows the composer’s dynamic markings scrupulously ensuring the soloist is not overwhelmed in some of the tutti passages. He gives the jazzier utterances real rhythmic bite. In the improvisation like section before the end she judges the tempo changes perfectly and her harmonics ring beautifully. The finale is as long as the preceding movements and is based on a sinuous melody introduced by the cello with very light accompaniment. It does not seem as tightly constructed as the other two and I have never been convinced by the revisiting of the opening melody near the end. Nevertheless this strange movement is finely shaped. Ms Van Der Heijden is excellent in the two tricky improvisations either side of the big orchestral tutti at letter 8. In other hands they have sounded brutal here they sound eloquent. The vibraphone, harp and celeste chords in the final moments are magical.
This is a wonderful partnership between Laura van der Heijden, the BBCSSO and Mr Wigglesworth. She is a marvellously lyrical player capable of drawing out long phrased singing melodies. He proves himself a gifted concerto consort never letting the dynamic players of the orchestra overpower her. The sound and the accompanying notes are everything we have come to expect of Chandos.
Paul RW Jackson
Previous review: Nick Barnard (July 2024)
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