The opening night of the Hallé's new season commenced with Dvorak's Scherzo Capriccioso, which Mark Elder acknowledged is "a bit of a firecracker" in his welcome to the audience. The performance was enhanced by Elder's obvious enjoyment of Dvorak's spectacular music. Every bar oozed with classy vitality, while each section of the orchestra was first-rate yet keeping its profile within an irresistible blend. Elder kept the musical argument amiably spinning on its toes, and the exciting coda was fantastic.
Heinrich Schiff joined for Elgar's Cello Concerto. The introduction can sound fragmented and ponderous in some performances, but here the transfer of melodies between violas, cellos, and soloist was seamless. From the outset this performance contained rich orchestral melodicism, counterbalanced by Schiff's poetic resilience. He was flexible with phrasing and speeds, while Elder never overplayed his hand too much during the accompaniments.
The result was unpredictable yet entirely faithful to Elgar's spirit. The pizzicato chords leading into the Allegro molto were sinewy and spontaneous, which showed that this was not a performance dedicated to perfection for its own sake. The lamentful Adagio was exquisitely shaped, not least by Elder's impeccable taste and patience. There was also a wondrous sense of drama as the Adagio resolved and paused before launching into the final movement. The Hallé was exemplary, and the musical paradox of theatre and introspective melancholy was brilliantly delivered.
Anything after that could have been anti-climactic, but Elder produced an accomplished performance of Sibelius's Symphony No 2. The Hallé worked together intuitively in one single, perfect voice. We cannot be sure that Sibelius intended a programmatic interpretation of this symphony, but the alleged conflict between death and redemption was superbly resolved into its optimistic finale. Patriotic Finns resisting Russian encroachment named Sibelius's work the Liberation Symphony, yet essentially this was just about fabulous music-making.
