When Colin Davis died in April he was 85, yet he had conducting engagements months ahead. He would probably have been delighted to know that his replacement for this London Symphony Orchestra concert was a mere 55 years his junior.
Not that Robin Ticciati is a novice. He has already been appointed Glyndebourne’s new music director, in which position he will no doubt be conducting plenty of Mozart, but he wasn’t required for Mozart’s Rondo for Solo Piano. Mitsuko Uchida played it as a tribute to Davis; clearly but subtly outlining its mood of wistful longing, she made it feel like a particularly intimate encounter with the composer. Ticciati and the orchestra then joined in for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, played with Uchida’s typical combination of wit and zest. Without ever sounding mannered, she gave the music time and space, and under Ticciati the orchestra sounded lighter on its feet than it might have done under Davis.
Uchida then joined the audience to listen to the world premiere of The Calligrapher’s Manuscript by Matthew Kaner. Its confident opening immediately grabbed the attention, allowing a strong cinematic quality to emerge. Although this was not merely soundtrack music, it was easy to imagine powerful events unfolding to the accompaniment of Kaner’s large orchestra.
With an orchestra such as the LSO it must be tempting to wallow in the gorgeous sound but in Dvorák's Fifth Symphony Ticciati located something sturdy and raw beneath the beauty. Negotiating the mercurial mood-shifts with authority, he built tension gradually so that, as the mighty climax approached, a subterranean force of nature seemed about to erupt. Dvorák should always be this elemental.
