The Finnish music of Kaija Saariaho found dazzling exponents in the hands of two Belgian artists: Annelien Van Wauve and Martijn Dendievel
Annelien Van Wauwe is one of the leading exponents of her generation on the clarinet, and as a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, she has performed in some of the finest venues in the world – the Berlin Philarmonie, the Rudolfinum in Prague, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and London’s Wigmore Hall. The audience in Enschede were in for a treat!
Martijn Dendievel, the young Belgian conductor, opened the programme by introducing the audience to the musical world of Kaija Saariaho. This Finnish composer, known for her explorations into the world of texture and timbre and harmony, juxtaposes seemingly innocent and tuneful melodies against harshly dissonant and sustained chords which confuse and confound the listener’s expectations.
The clarinet concerto (2010) entitled D’Om le Vrai Sens (Man’s True Sense) is an exploration of the five senses, with an additional sixth sense – love – in a movement entitled A mon seul désir (To whom my soul desireth). Rather apt programming in a concert just days before Valentine’s Day!
The audience were invited into this mystical and magical sound world; a world where smell is colour, and this colour is the harmony which the clarinet spreads over the orchestral sound. The composer, Saariaho led the audience to a sound world of sheer beauty; a world I was not totally prepared for.
The incredibly atmospheric opening, an exploration of L’Ouïe (Hearing) had an improvisatory feel, in sharp contrast with the 2nd movement La Vue (Sight), rich in syncopated rhythms. A series of Gershwin-like glissandos (think Rhapsody in Blue) displayed an astonishing level of breath control from Annelien.
The very detailed and atmospheric performance from the orchestra displayed clear lines and well-articulated phrasing from all. Dendievel’s detailed knowledge of the score gave the orchestra much-needed clarity, in a work where the soloist’s rhythmic base is mostly in direct opposition to that of the orchestra.
A sequence of swirling ascending scales, finished right at the very top of the clarinet’s range. You could actually see Annelien’s embouchure change and tighten as she put less of the mouthpiece in her mouth, thus preventing the high notes from squeaking.
It was at this point that the lighting technician started to have rather too much fun, and the auditorium was suddenly transformed from a sea of green, to a bed of red!
One of the most striking features of this work is the constant oscillation of pitch and use of microtones. Flutter tonguing – rolling an ‘r’ sound against the reed; glissando – sliding from one note to another; and portamento – a small slide between two notes next to one another, all questioned the accepted concept of tonality. The audience was challenged in a quite striking fashion.
The instruction to the strings to slow down the speed of their vibrato in order to hear the change in pitch, reminded me of violin practise as a teenager, spending hours rocking my left hand, backwards and forwards: in twos, and then threes, and then fours. All to refine and improve my vibrato technique. I imagine the string players all thanked Saariaho for the opportunity to revisit this technical aspect of their playing!
In complete contrast to such technicalities, the percussionists must have been in heaven! The guiro, celeste and marimbas all played a key role, but it was the bowed cymbal which took the staring-role and created an eerily dystopian sound more akin to film music: an approaching emptiness, the unknown.
However, the world created by Saariaho was only a passing world, and the audience were passing guests. The clarinet, with all its magic, turned to leave the stage, violins following as if being led by the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Where they were going, nobody knew. The ostinato d on the celeste and small triangle, chimed like the tolling bell of doom.
After a short break, the orchestra delighted the audience with a return to tonality in the form of Dvorak’s 8thSymphony and even if it took the wind a moment to find the centre of tonality again after all the microtonality of the concerto, the orchestra did not disappoint.
For those who have not ventured to Enschede, I really would recommend making the trip as the acoustic in the Musiekcentrum is really quite fabulous especially for the brass, who clearly relished playing together again after a period of lockdown; the triumphant passages were particularly jubilant.
There was a lightness and elegance in tone in the third movement, especially from the first violins, and it was at this point that I was suddenly aware that Dendievel was conducting this symphony from memory – a wonderful intellectual challenge for any musician.
The finale was joyous: the horns relished their trills, and the trumpets gave us some beautifully delicate moments. It was the sotto voce playing from the cellos in the understated return of the initial theme however which really made me sit up and take note. The playing was stunning.
This series of concerts in Arnhem, Doetinchem, Enschede and Nijmegen, was the first collaboration between the Phion Orchestra and this talented young Belgian conductor, who also plays the cello, harpsichord, percussion, and recorder. Phion were clearly well-rehearsed, and the performance was detailed and intelligent. I predict that we may see much more of Dendievel in the not-too-distant future. He is a rising talent and indeed, one to watch!
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Further reading and listening:
NPO Radio 4 broadcast of the same concert given earlier in the week in Arnhem, The Netherlands
What a pleasure to read Clare’s reminiscence to this indeed glamorous concert. It was a real experience that we’ll never forget. Thanks Kija, Phion, Annelien, Martijn and Clare!
Margriet & Piet