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Oedipus Rex/Philarmonia
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Unbashed romanticism in Oedipus Rex
By Barry Millington, Evening Standard 24.09.08
After eight weeks of Proms in the elusive acoustic of the Albert Hall, it's a shock to the system to be back in the newly refurbished festival Hall. Last night's gala event celebrating Esa-Pekka Salonen's first concert as principal conductor of the Philharmonia culminated in Stravinsky's opera-oratorio Oedipus rex, whose stark plangency was immeasurably enhanced by the brilliance and clarity of the hall's acoustic.
Salonen spurred the orchestra and the Philharmonia Voices, both in splendid form, to a performance that sizzled with tension. the paradox is that Stravinsky employs distancing devices such as a narrator and a Latin text yet packs a powerful emotional punch.
Simon russell Beale's low-key, conversational narration followed the wishes of its creator, Jean Cocteau ("with a detached voice, like a lecture"), almost to a fault.
Stephen Gould's Wagnerian Oedipus was effortful and lacking subtlety, especially alongside the operatic bass franz-Josef Selig, a darkly expressive tiresias, and the more flexible tenor of Andrew Kennedy, an excellent Shepherd. ekaterina Gubanova's aptly regal Jocasta was outstanding.
Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin Suite also benefited both from the immediacy of the acoustic and the incisive conducting of Salonen. rhythms were stiletto sharp and the story of the sinister Chinaman who refuses to die was delivered with visceral, lethal energy.
Not often does Prokofiev come as relief but after the excitement of the mandarin's chase, his Second Violin Concerto in G minor offered lyrical tranquillity. Vadim repin caught the amiable register admirably, drawing out the unabashed romanticism.
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