Conducted with an unshowy economy by Michael Seal, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra led an appreciative Nottingham audience through a musical exploration of spaces both literal and liminal, and probed the interrelationship of things within those spaces...
Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra was composed in 1945 for a public information film directed by Muir Matheson called Instruments of the Orchestra, which has all the stiff upper lip and Received Pronunciation one would expect from a production of that time and period. None of the introduction or narration that characterises Matheson’s film were on display at the Royal Concert Hall; Seal simply delivered the downbeat and the CBSO launched into an emphatic account of the theme by Purcell around which Britten’s variations and fugue are based.
A decent percentage of the full house comprised the young people for whom the piece was conceived (though what Britten would have made of the lad who defiantly rocked up in a Black Sabbath t-shirt can only be guessed at) and the CBSO were clearly focused on retaining their interest with a brisk and impactful performance.
Whereas the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra shuttles between the various sections of the orchestra and demonstrates how they interact, and Pictures at an Exhibition strolls ruminatively around a gallery
Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition was originally a work for solo piano; the orchestral version so popular in recordings and concert performances was adapted by Ravel. To be completely honest, I’ve always preferred it for piano: it’s nimbler, livelier; the famous “promenade” theme is sprightly, rather than the dull plod that can result when conductors take an overly stately approach. Seal delivered an interpretation that sought to fuse big showpiece theatrics with a Brucknerian sense of solemnity. Whether the piece is capable of supporting this degree of intensity is debatable - the audience certainly thought so and cheered at volume - but there can be no doubt that Seal had his own idea and the CBSO realised his vision with gusto.
Of course, the risk of putting these two works on the same bill is that the concert becomes overly programmatic. Seal and the CBSO’s solution was the inspired inclusion of Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto. Whereas the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra shuttles between the various sections of the orchestra and demonstrates how they interact, and Pictures at an Exhibition strolls ruminatively around a gallery and responds emotively to the works on display, the Flute and Harp Concerto explores the zen-like spaces in between the notes themselves.
With the orchestra reduced to its string section, the focus was on soloists Marie-Christine Zupancic (flute) and Katherine Thomas (harp). Their intuitive and beautifully understated double act, a testament to the importance of timing and nuance, was warmly received, but I couldn’t help wondering if was too quiet a piece to follow the Britten. A short first half, followed by the Flute and Harp Concerto as the calm before the fireworks of Pictures at an Exhibition could have been more effective.
It might even have been an interesting experiment to dispense with the interval and play the three pieces back to back, perhaps uncovering another layer of nuance in the Mozart. Though I doubt both audience and those manning the concession stands would agree with me!
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra played the Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham on Wednesday 15 October 2025.
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