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Imogen Cooper directs Beethoven
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
2 October 2006
It may be considered desirably
authentic to direct classical piano concertos from the keyboard but, as
various visitors to the QEH have shown, sometimes the more a pianist focuses
on conducting, the worse his own performance gets. Imogen Cooper has the
right idea in her collaborations with the Britten Sinfonia: no arm-waving
save the odd low-key gesture but, in its place, detailed rehearsal and
a good deal of eye contact.
That
last certainly seemed to be the secret behind the outstanding quality
of the Sinfonia's performance here. With the orchestra, led by violinist
Jacqueline Shave, playing like a true chamber ensemble, the long introductions
to the opening movements of the two piano concertos were some of the evening's
best moments, displaying a unanimity of purpose, blended sound and breadth
of tone you don't often hear even under the best of conductors.
In the Concerto No 1, the crispness
of Cooper's response was occasionally blurred by sluggish pedalling, but
she matched the orchestra's energy, and was at her best duetting with
the clarinet in the dreamy slow movement. The Concerto No 2 brought more
opportunities for direct interaction between piano and orchestra. Cooper
has a firm touch that can veer towards harshness, but she controlled the
slowly receding close of the slow movement with such poise that it was
followed by seconds of rapt silence, and the dancing finale brought the
concert to a good-humoured close.
In
between came something less familiar, the brief but colourful Rondino
for wind octet. It further showcased the quality of the Sinfonia's wind
section - not only is oboist Nicholas Daniel of soloist standing here
but the horns that led the music into the distance at the end, transforming
a hunting-style call into a whispered echo.
The Guardian
Here, London-born pianist Imogen
Cooper joined the Britten Sinfonia in its season's opening concert at
the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Cooper made her last appearance with the orchestra
in 2004 with a selection of Mozart concertos; this time, Beethoven was
the focus.
The Concerto No.1 in C was
in fact the composer’s third attempt at the genre: preceding it was a
concerto in E flat and the one in B flat (published as No.2). The tempo
of the Allegro con brio allowed ample time for detail to be audible, though
not at the expense of the overall drive and energy that give the music
its appeal. Cooper's first entry after the opening orchestral statement
revealed an exquisite celestial sound which seemed to defy the technical
limitations of the instrument. She presented each phrase as though she
were uncovering its meaning for the first time, breathing new energy and
life into the composer’s characteristic devices such as descending chromatic
scales and standard harmonic modulations. Cooper did not seek to do more
than Beethoven asks for – she brought purity through simplicity and realised
a genuine freedom from having embraced the score’s directions.
Cooper began the Largo with
an intimate sound that was later matched and explored by the clarinet.
It is crucial for the pianist to set a tempo that allows a single note
to ring from the moment of its creation so that it soars above the harmony,
enticing the ear to follow until it disappears. If the tempo veers towards
the too-slow side, the melody can lose its intensity making what should
be one long, seamless phrase an unrelated group of isolated segments.
Here, the soloist judged the tempo to perfection. Cooper gave a wonderful
account of the finale, capturing all the humour and wit of the piece with
some terrific interplay with the orchestra. The main theme, which has
a descending group of right-hand thirds, was played with some charming
rubato , a lightness of touch and elegant articulation. Beethoven
uses accents throughout the movement to illustrate a 'question and answer'-type
conversation between soloist and orchestra. Both parties used these accents
to produce just the desired effect.
In 1792, Beethoven wrote his
Rondino in E flat for wind octet (pairs of oboes, horns, bassoons and
clarinets), which had flourished in Vienna since the time of Mozart. Sandwiched
between the two piano concertos, the Rondino served as a fine contrast.
Its challenges were sensitively met by the Britten Sinfonia.
Imogen Cooper then returned
for a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto in B flat. Her ornamentation
shimmered from the outset and every modulation somehow came as a surprise.
In this concerto, Beethoven uses the full range of the piano to great
effect and calls for more conversations between the bass and treble lines
than in the C major concerto, thereby encompassing both masculine and
feminine voices. Cooper used the contrasts well – not only through voicing
but also with the use of sensitively weighted staccato and legato.
In the hands of a lesser artist,
this concerto can often fail to convince, but Imogen Cooper, with an abundance
of charm and elegance, portrayed the brilliance of the work. She was never
afraid to whisper the pianissimos, to draw the listener into the most
vulnerable and delicate soundworld, to take an extra moment to listen
to the diminishment of a note which so often leads to uncertain and unexpected
harmonic territory in search of resolution. That is surely how Beethoven
should be: challenging, inspiring, surprising and stimulating.
Classical Source
Imogen Cooper is one of the
most musical pianists before the public today. Her appearances at the
Wigmore Hall, in Schubert especially, have been memorable occasions. To
hear her in the first two Beethoven Concertos was a fascinating experience,
too. I am not sure that it would be correct to describe Cooper as ‘piano/director’
though. Despite a lot of swaying in the direction of the orchestra, the
actual nitty-gritty of ensemble seemed to be handled by the Britten Sinfonia’s
leader, Jacqueline Shave. And very well Shave did, too (the orchestra’s
post-cadenza re-entrances were always going to be tricky and were, as
it turned out, impressively managed). The piano was placed sideways to
the orchestra, not facing it as many pianists who indulge in conductorless
concertos prefer.
Cooper’s phrasing in the ‘First’ concerto (the second to be written) was
frequently a thing of beauty. Her sfs bit, but were never harsh and there
was a chamber feel in the woodwind exchanges. She opted for the long third
cadenza. Her slow movement was a dream (rightly, she waited for silence
before beginning). A finale imbued with real spirit and a sense of fun
was a joy.
Britten Sinfonia has some real strengths. Clearly it thinks along chamber-music
lines and some of the instrumentalists are outstanding (particularly the
oboist Nicolas Daniel, who some may remember from BBC’s Young Musician
of the Year some years back). It was an intriguing idea to put the Rondino
for Wind (written around 1792) in between the two concertos. Not an easy
piece, this, particularly for the horns. There is an outdoor feel to his
music that the players projected well.
Finally, the bright-and-breezy Second Concerto. The enthusiasm of the
orchestra was for overdrive in the orchestral exposition. Full of vim,
it seemed an intriguing mix of Mozart and Beethoven as if intent on revealing
Beethoven’s roots. Interestingly, Cooper’s right-hand projection was now
perfectly judged, especially in the bold, imitative beginning to the cadenza.
But it was the Adagio that was the highlight. Cooper’s tone was quite
simply gorgeous, while the orchestra was unexpectedly passionate in fortes.
Holding the silence before launching into the finale threw the
last movement’s hustle and bustle into real relief. There was no trace
of awkwardness in Cooper’s articulation (no easy feat), plus there was
an underbelly of fire to the music’s surface play. A wonderful reminder
of just how special a pianist Imogen Cooper is.
Seen and Heard
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