Review: Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra feat Sophie Stockham, St George’s

I gave up counting how many musicians were crammed onto the St George’s stage – 60? 70? Whatever, with a Mahler symphony on the programme the Bristol Metropolitan had brought a full strength orchestra for the occasion. But before that Titanic piece two intriguing works by lesser-known composers offered a very satisfying range of mood and style.

Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra (pic: Tony Benjamin)

The opener was the Callirhoe Suite by early 20th century French composer Cécile Chaminade. Across its first three movements the piece moved from a lyrical opening disrupted by explosive brass through to a light-touch waltz and then a busy, almost Disney-esque balletic number. The finale, though, was a total contrast with strident brass and explosive string chords underpinned by firm percussion providing a very climactic climax. The piece asked a lot of the players, especially the violins, and was well served by tightly rhythmic playing and well-managed dynamics that were a credit to orchestra leader Anneka Sutcliffe and conductor Tim Harrison.

Sophie Stockham with the Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra (pic: Tony Benjamin)

That was followed by the premiere of Sophie Stockham’s Selene’s Awakening, a suite for saxophone and orchestra commissioned from the Bristol jazz player and composer. Looking (no doubt deceptively) relaxed, Sophie led from the front as the five pieces unfolded. Opening with the simplicity of bird song the first part grew into a full throated orchestral piece with an assertive rhythmic undertow and rising saxophone. The second began with a strong bass riff overlaid with a counterpoint of strings and brass tightly played with surging dynamics. The conflicting urgency resolved, however, into a hypnotic orchestral drone while the sax evoked a weary resignation. The next section was more reflective, mysterious even, with a bluesy scale and atmospheric use of the concert harp but led to a fourth part of shimmering strings and improvised saxophone that grew in emphasis with brass chorale and tympani. That announced a properly tumultuous finale, cascading strings and call-and-response saxophone notable elements of contrasting currents that came together and eventually subsided into a more relaxed theme, quietly played out on harp and flute.

It was a powerfully achieved composition, all the more impressive for being Sophie Stockham’s first foray into full orchestral arrangement. The balance of classical convention and a more jazzy vision nodded towards both Duke Ellington’s venerable later works and the energetic writing of Bernstein but primarily represented Sophie’s own evolving musical voice.

Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra (pic: Tony Benjamin)

In Greek mythology Selene was the goddess of the moon, while Callirhoe was the daughter of one of the Titans. If Gustav Mahler’s symphonic debut has become known as the Titan it is probably more to reflect the use of orchestral muscle being flexed by the composer. It is a mighty piece of work, not least because throughout the composer uses elements of the orchestra in contrasting and even contradictory ways, tossing thematic elements between sections. It began with a primal daybreak of birdsong and distant trumpets (they actually hid at the back for effect) before the music went on to encompass waves of orchestral crescendo, bursts of marching band and schmaltzy waltzes. The fourth movement opened with a dreary minor fugue of Frere Jacques briefly giving way to cheery cafe klezmer before returning and drifting away. That lull preceded the storm of the finale, an onslaught of swirling strings and roaring brass with everybody contributing something to the fireworks. It all built to a triumphal ending with echoes of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus as the augmented ranks of French horns stood up to add a final fanfare in the last few moments.

Bristol Metropolitan Orchestra horn section (pic: Tony Benjamin)

With such an ambitious choice of work conductor Tim Harrison needed to be vigorously on top of the shifts of dynamic and thematic elements throughout. The orchestra was at its most impressive in the full-on tutti sections, powerfully deploying St George’s celebrated acoustic, but there were more delicate moments that stood out, too. The Bristol Metropolitan are to be congratulated for an entertaining and eclectic evening reflecting the diversity of orchestral music.