Music
Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Michael Tumelty
four stars
THERE’S a lot to say about the thrilling concert given on Sunday by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. It’s a young band, just 23,and founded by its principal trumpeter, an amazing player called Jan Hasenohrl. It’s probably best described as a medium-scale symphony orchestra: in the lower strings there are five double basses and six cellos. Why exactly the orchestra was founded is not clear, but to the high gloss of the Czech Philharmonic it offers a lean, varnish-free sound world, a distinctive accent, an immaculate texture and some phenomenally-alert listening within the ensemble; there is, indeed, a slight resemblance to a chamber orchestra sensibility. They have the best of both orchestral worlds,the bigness of a symphony orchestra with the intimacy of a smaller group.
On Sunday, they were due to be directed by their veteran chief conductor, Libor Pesek, but on medical advice, Pesek only took the second half, with a gloriously-paced and golden account of Dvorak’s New World Symphony which cut every ounce of symphonic fat from the piece, trimmed the sentiment from the famous Largo, ratcheted up the tension by establishing a lovely, broad, unhurried pace, and left the music beaming with benign beauty. Otherwise they brought in one of their regular collaborators, an interesting character called Heiko Mathias Forster, a conductor with perhaps a Sondergard touch to his work. Forster directed a Smetana opener with great sweep, and laid down a forensic, analytical accompaniment to Natalie Clein’s riveting account of Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto, a masterly performance characterised by understatement, aphorism and style. A welcome visit from the Czechs and a splendid concert.
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