The Scotsman June 3rd 2008
Tchaikovsy Rococo Variations Op.33
PERTH FESTIVAL FINALE ****
PERTH CONCERT HALL
HOW often do you find the likes of violinist Tasmin Little, pianist Peter Donohoe, cellist Julian Lloyd Webber and soprano Lesley Garrett on the same concert billing, and with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to boot? Well, that was the line-up for the finale to the Perth Festival – a classical version of Sunday Night at the London Palladium.
And it certainly drew the crowds, who soaked up the gentle breeze that was Little’s affectionate pairing of Beethoven’s Romance No 2 in F and Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending (the piece every Classic FM listener apparently wants as their desert island favourite), delivered by the petite violinist with a mixture of uncharacteristic detachment and understatement.
Donohoe even managed to draw some amusement from Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, when he faltered for a second, trying to decide which way to cross his hands. In fact, it was a performance, like Little’s, that seemed a tad uncomfortable, as if he had come back to this work after a long period away from it. But old pros like Donohoe don’t shake easily; bravado brought it off.
Lloyd Webber’s fresh-faced performance of Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme had complete composure from start to finish. He urged the music along with breathless ease, begging the same response for the RPO, but not always getting it. Sunday night’s playing under Philip Ellis, which included a rather ordinary romp through Rossini’s William Tell overture, was not this orchestra at its finest.
And then there was dear old Lesley, who introduced her own operatic selection with enough soft sentiment to charm the knitting pattern off an old auntie.
The songs were nothing spectacular, but were delivered like the consummate entertainer she is.
Kenneth Walton
