A silly piece: Music by Walton, Liszt and Holst with the RPO
Music by Walton, Liszt and Holst
Mark Wigglesworth, Khatia Buniatishvili and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall
Balcony F15, choir comp
4 February 2020
Southbank page
Programme
Walton, Portsmouth Point Overture
Liszt, Second Piano Concerto
Holst, The Planets
My choir provided the siren backing vocals for The Planets offstage, so unfortunately I watched this programme’s main event through a feed in a chamber with the door through to the main hall shut except for when we were singing, which is probably insufficient to give much of an assessment. But they let us sit in the audience for the first half, so here we go.
The Walton provided some boisterous roister doister entertainment to start the evening: it felt entirely wholesome and in no way pompous, which must to some extent be credit to the clarity of Mark Wigglesworth’s interpretation with the RPO and the avoidance of any mustifying Edwardian romanticism.
Khatia Buniatishvili certainly embraces the sensationalism of the Liszt, wearing a bright red dress and flinging herself about while playing a lot of notes in a short space of time. It’s impressive but it does get old; although I’ve been chipping away at my prejudice against Liszt and do now genuinely enjoy some of his music, I still think he’s largely to blame here. It is a silly piece, and no quantity of swooshing can make it otherwise.
No comments yet.