The London Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Antonio Pappano, delivered a programme of mid-20th-century works at the Barbican Hall, featuring Imogen Holst's Persephone, Korngold's Violin Concerto, and Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony. The concert opened with Holst's 1929 tone poem, which, despite its initial echoes of Ravel's Daphnis and Chloé, showcased the composer's distinctive approach to texture, colour, and tonality. The piece built towards a glowing culmination, with a darker central section featuring an uneasy fugue and clustered brass chords, perhaps influenced by Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
Violinist Vilde Frang then brought expressionistic depth to Korngold's 1945 Violin Concerto, revealing the work's Viennese roots in musical expressionism. While she spun the melodic lines with silky intensity, particularly in the slow movement, she also highlighted the music's strangeness and spikiness by dispensing with vibrato at times, uncovering elements often overlooked.
The concert concluded with a drama-filled reading of Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony. Pappano maintained taut tension in the first movement through subtle accelerations. The second movement began with a gruff, angry fluster from the cellos and basses, evolving into a heavy-footed dance. The slow movement achieved tragic, romantic dimensions, with Pappano drawing out the fullest string sound. The finale culminated in a thrilling, ear-ringing climax from the orchestra.
