Review: LSO - WALKER, BERNSTEIN AND WALTON, Barbican

Sir Antonio Pappano, chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, assembled a powerful and vibrant programme for last night's concert, with George Walker and Leonard Bernstein complementing each other's expressive and emotional music.

Paired with William Walton's "Symphony No 1 in B-flat minor", a masterpiece of flair, energy, and drama, Walker's "Sinfonia No 5, 'Visions'", written when he was 94, and Bernstein's "Serenade (after Plato's 'Symposium')", offer energetic and often harsh commentary on the human condition.

Walker, an African-American, wrote his piece after reflecting on the shooting of nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleson. The 17-minute piece is an angry, raging, shocking reaction to an event that touched the composer deeply, and yet he finds moments of compassion in the solitary note that sounds like a church bell, and in the frank modernist style.

In Bernstein's half-hour "Serenade", with violinist Carolin Widmann stepping in at short notice for an indisposed Janine Jansen, we find the composer in both reflective and playful mood. Inspired by philosophical musings on the nature of love, this is a showcase for the LSO's string sections throughout.

Widmann has strong familiarity with the piece, which shows in her solos and in her rapport with the orchestra. This is a piece that ranges in style from traditional bombastic through a strain of sweetness until a finale allows Bernstein to embrace jazz motifs and show his hand as a sensual and uninhibited composer.

By the time we regroup for the Walton, there is a warm and appreciative buzz in the hall. A composer who is sometimes overlooked, I feel an affinity to Walton as we share a hometown, and find his work displays a curious beauty despite a sense of discordance and jarring tonal changes. The "Symphony No 1" was written from 1932-35, at a time when the world was starting to shift politically.

Across five movements, he utilises the whole of the orchestra from woodwind and brass to percussion and strings. It's a dance, a tease, and a showcase of the power of pure music, and it led us to the end of the evening sure that the LSO was both in safe hands and guided to a satisfying finale.

Pappano is a very demonstrative conductor, leaping about, directing the orchestra with hands and body. A fascinating watch in himself.  In a large and diverse orchestra, I enjoyed watching the violas, double basses, and percussion. An enjoyable night out I would find it hard to fault.

This concert was recorded for later transmission on BBC Radio 3.

Photo credits: Mark Allan Photography