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BBCSO/Ollikainen review – Stravinsky’s sacrificial dance had serrated edges

Royal Albert Hall, LondonAn exhilarating Rite of Spring and a cool-as-ice Bolero were high points in a Prom that also included the UK premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s luminous Cello ConcertoA clarinet solo line carved, firm and fierce, out of the heatwave stuffiness. Twitches and rustles from the huge array of percussion. A bigger picture emerges, anchored by the deep throb of low brass. Bitonal parps cut through like car horns in gridlock.A century after its premiere, Edgard Varèse’s Intégrales remains a beguiling listen – particularly in a performance as coolly loose-limbed as the BBC Symphony Orchestra served up under Finnish conductor Eva Ollikainen. Standing where the strings would normally be to marshal the piece’s sparse wind, brass and percussion, Ollikainen made angular, hyper-efficient gestures. Continue reading...

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