LSO/Rattle review – a spine-tingling reminder of the live sounds we have missed

Back in the Barbican before a live audience, Simon Rattle and the LSO chose a celebratory programme of Britten and Dvořák, interspersed with Fauré’s more reflective Pelléas et Mélisande Suite

If ever a musical occasion mattered more than the music itself, here it was. Social distancing meant the hall could not be completely full on Tuesday afternoon for the London Symphony Orchestra’s post-pandemic return. But the mere public address announcement “Welcome back to the Barbican Hall” drew loud and prolonged cheering from the LSO’s first audience in 14 months, as well as answering applause and waving from the players themselves. For everyone, it was good to be back.

“I never speak before concerts,” said a beaming Simon Rattle as he took to the podium, microphone in hand, “but if there was ever an occasion to break the habit of a lifetime, here it is.” The sense of grateful reunion was palpable throughout, even if the cold truth for the LSO and London is that Brexit and reduced arts spending mean Rattle is soon to relocate back to Germany at the head of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Continue reading...