The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, under Estonian guest conductor Olari Elts, was on good form in this exploration of Scandanavian music. Elts brought considerable personal expertise into a broad selection of repertoire from Finland and Norway. Contemporary music was prominently placed at the beginning, with a large work by Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg entitled Feria, described by his publishers as "new modernist classicism for the post-serial era".
Feria was characterised by close, sustained harmonies for the strings, with restless short interruptions from piano and tuned percussion that remained immersed in the colossal force of the increasingly disorientating whole. The RLPO's trumpets were jazzy, the invigorated timpani banged away, and the woodwind scurried while the strings remained intense. Yet it was unclear whether there was purpose to Feria beyond one long crescendo.
In retrospect, Lindberg's architectural construction was comparable with his compatriot Sibelius's Fifth Symphony (heard at the end of the evening), but the subtlety of this dichotomy was lost by sandwiching Norwegian Grieg's popular, tuneful Piano Concerto in between the bleaker Finnish works.
Grieg's music seemed slightly out of its element surrounded by sombre symphonic utterances, but the famous introduction retains its ability to arouse drama. Soloist Kathryn Stott's sweetly expressive playing produced a tender performance of the Adagio. The more energetic orchestral passages were efficient rather than exciting.
In the second half, Elts became more involved with the broad, melodic sweep of Sibelius's Spring Song, charting a progression from melancholy to revitalisation. Elts nurtured the music with transparent personal involvement, and in the Fifth Symphony he produced a performance that was immediate and electrifying, and the many fine details were never allowed to eclipse the long-term view.
In the finale, the glorious theme representing flying swans was intelligently controlled, with Elts understanding that one must not over-egg the pudding with its first statement. The climax was emotionally raw yet musically polished, and the final, dramatic, stabbing chords were devoid of self-indulgent long pauses.
