London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle: Betsy Jolas and Turangalîla at the Barbican

Last night, under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, the London Symphony Orchestra joined forces with soprano Faustine de Monès, pianist Peter Donohoe and reigning ondes Martinot queen Cynthia Millar to bring 20^th century and contemporary French music to dazzling life at the Barbican. Rattle’s last programme as musical director of the LSO (scheduled twice to accommodate its enormous audience) was a triumph: a testament to the conductor’s enduring flair and deep affinity with the orchestra.

The evening started with the world premiere of Betsy Jolas’s Ces Belles Années, a quirky, atonal ode to a happy summer that draws rhythmic complexity, idiosyncratic textures and a range of extended techniques from the ensemble (including stamping, clapping and a whispered passage). A previous student of Messiaen himself, the French 96-year-old has produced a recent flurry of new work, catalysed by a meeting and subsequent collaboration with Rattle. This evening’s performance was a fitting and intriguing complement to the second half of the concert, and a welcome showcase for a hitherto under-appreciated composer (who attended in person). Soprano de Monès was an engaging presence, imbuing her delivery with clarity and lighthearted expressivity.

After an interval (during which the Barbican’s stage crew had their work cut out for them, setting up for an expanded orchestra that included a rhythm section of nine), the LSO performed an electrifying Turangalîla. Messiaen’s epic symphonic work is a kaleidoscopic journey of exuberance and tenderness, featuring an ondes Martinot (one of the earliest electronic instruments, akin in sound to a theremin), solo piano and percussion in spades. Millar brought consummate expertise and humour to her part, Donohue joining her with mighty (if sometimes rhythmically errant) vim. Rattle’s interpretation, given breath by the well-oiled machine that is the LSO, was utterly scintillating. The extraordinary sound world of Turangalîla, full of lush harmonies, multi-textural energy and wide-ranging emotional appeal, was gorgeously rendered, with particular mention deserved for the mellifluous woodwind and especially for the percussion, who gave a masterclass in impetus and precision.

Though Rattle ends his tenure as musical director with the LSO and goes on to become chief conductor of the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra, nonetheless his uniquely synergetic relationship with the British orchestra will remain intact as he takes up the mantle of conductor emeritus. This concert was a beautifully apt tribute to the maestro’s warmth, vitality and delicacy – all-consuming proof of the power of music, and a night to remember.

Alexandra Fletcher
Photos: Mark Allan

For further information and future events visit London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle’s website here.