After her
grace and intelligent allure tonight, I expect her to inspire lots of women.
She has taken over the reigns at CBSO, a terrific orchestra that the London
orchestras unfairly overshadow. In preparation for her concert performance of
Idomeneo with an all star cast next Summer, I wanted to find out what
she could do with Haydn and Mahler at her official Welcome Concert. She did not
disappoint!
Ms Graûinyt?-Tyla certainly proves herself already to have great synergy
with her new orchestra. She carries a modest, but confident air, and inspires
her orchestra with her ferocious passion honed by an utterly refined elegance.
Mirga Graûinyt?-Tyla proved herself a sensational conductor superlatively fit
to follow in the legendary footsteps of Andris Nelsons, Sakari Oramo, and Simon
Rattle. One can only imagine how this collaboration will grow over time.
As new Music Director, she had her first official concert in Birmingham.
After I experienced Mirga Graûinyt?-Tyla’s performance with Chamber
Orchestra of Europe in Lucerne, she had dazzled me, and I needed to hear more.
There, she made Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony come to life with
a freshness and contagious energy with which she similarly infused
Haydn’s ‘Le Matin’ Symphony tonight. Unlike some
other female conductors she does not butch up her act. Her free-flowing
authentic musicianship emerges from her feminine grace, not some imitation of a
man conducting. Her mannerisms remind me of Barbara Hannigan, but without any
provocative presentation.
The evening opened with the U.K. premiere of Raminta
Šerkšnyt?’s Fires. At the Lucerne concert, Ms.
Graûinyt?-Tyla introduced the audiences there to De Profundis, A
haunting piece that excited me for more by this Lithuanian composer.
Fires makes part of a series of pieces that tackle the forces of
nature (Iceberg Symphony, Mountains in the Mist,
Glow).
In continuous harmony, several different motifs fluctuate through rhythms,
various densities of textures, and an assortment of timbres. On a slow burning,
thick texture of strings, Fires contains rhythms from some remarkable
percussive piano playing by James Keefe moving back and forth between a
celesta. Slowly intensifying, rarified strings overlap in different clusters to
create a luscious, breathing mass. I quite enjoyed it.
Graûinyt?-Tyla conducted Haydn’s Symphony No. 6 in D major in
her black, sleeveless pant suit without baton. Her directions flowed from her
fingertips with the elegant determination and gestures of a ballerina. She was
delightful to behold. Pleasure visible on her face, she controls the orchestra
but does not constrict her musicians. You could see they were dedicated to play
for her at their best. Truly a terrific orchestra characterized by its joie
de vivre, communal spirit in play, deep musicianship, and altogether fiery
passion.
The reduced set-up of strings and standing wind soloists made for an
intimate collaboration. In particular the concertmaster Frank Stadler made his
violin sing during his moving solos. Solo flautist Marie-Christine Zupancic
even managed to get some loud laughter from the audience during the comical
moments with her bird calls as well as in the finale Allegro.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is one of the best in Great
Britain. Perhaps the best, if the London organisations weren’t as high
profile. I have heard the LSO with Gergiev, the LPO with Eschenbach and
Ticciati, but to me they were nothing compared to what I heard in
Birmingham.
The CBSO reminds me of how in the Netherlands, the Rotterdam Philharmonic
under its PC Yannick Nézet-Séguin has to deal with the historical
esteem for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Over the past few years that
orchestra often performed more memorable concerts with more intensity than the
RCO, but don’t mention this to anyone in Amsterdam.
The meat of the evening came with a vibrant rendition of Mahler’s
First Symphony. Transparency elucidated the layers of each section in the first
movement while our conductor sustained a titanium tension that became the
backbone of Mahler’s “Creation of Earth”. She ruled with a
baton this time, highlighting the shrill contrast from the horns within the
warmer textures, resulting in goosebumps galore.
In the Scherzo her expressive gestures took control. With her talent for
cohesion of all sections, she creates a communal spirit producing an enormous
momentum. She energised Mahler’s Ländler, to which she
could not resist some charmingly joyful jumps and hip swaying. Something she
would take to another level during the stormy finale.
Mahler’s take on “Frères Jacques” proved our
conductor could also deliver pianissimo passages. She injected them with a
delicate, taut suspense. After this, she immediately launched into the final
movement. She conducted with all the nuances one hopes to hear in this furious
ending. The audience ended with a wild ovation. I was surprised at how the
British lost their composure to such a jubilant degree.
Still recovering from the shock of the American election loss and seriously
disheartened by Ms. Clinton’s failure to win, I felt highly inspired by
Ms. Graûinyt?-Tyla. This woman is successfully breaking through barriers by
redefining conducting in her own way, without breaking from tradition. She
takes the stuffy masculinity expected in conducting, dispenses of it, and
replaces it with her own intelligence and freshness.
“Let’s be proud together of this incredible orchestra,”
Mirga Graûinyt?-Tyla encouraged the Birmingham audience, before the encore of a
Lithuanian piece ended the evening. She spoke with conviction and seemed
completely at home in her new position with the CBSO. Beyond her musical
talent, she presents a positive role model for women in our discombobulating
world. Mirga Graûinyt?-Tyla truly is a beacon of hope.
If you are in England. Go visit Birmingham. It’s only an hour north of
London. Just as diverse, but far less sprawling. On June 24, she will conduct
Mozart’s Idomeneo. It will surely be a high point in this
musical season.
David Pinedo
image=http://www.operatoday.com/0398%20hi-res%20final%20-%20CBSO%2015nov16%20%28c%29%20B%20Ealovega.png
image_description=Mirga Graûinyt?-Tyla [Photo by Benjamin Ealovega]
product=yes
product_title=The new Queen of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
product_by=A review by David Pinedo
product_id=Above: Mirga Graûinyt?-Tyla [Photo by Benjamin Ealovega]