RSNO: Sir Roger Norrington Conducts

A chance to see world-renowned conductor and early music scholar Roger Norrington conduct the RSNO isn’t one to be passed up. In a programme of Beehoven and Schumann symphonies, and Beethoven’s Leonore overture no. 2, we can only anticipate Norrington in his absolute element, and judging by this evening’s performance - which sees him cracking jokes and entertaining the audience with theatrical flair - we certainly aren’t disappointed.

Norrington walks nonchalantly onto the stage at the beginning of the concert, seemingly completely unfazed by the substantial audience and remarkable venue. Minus music for the entire performance and minus baton for a large proportion of it, he conducts in a sometimes reserved, yet sometimes flamboyant manner. His treatment of the strings in particular lead to a remarkable opening to the overture, and a feel of unison that is incredibly difficult to find comparison for.

After a similar entrance, Norrington takes time to give an introduction to the following pieces before Beethoven’s second symphony. The wind portray their motifs particularly well in this piece, passing themes across the section with apparent ease. The strings once again demonstrate a closeness and the entire ensemble appear to respond enthusiastically to Norrington’s waves and gestures. Schumann’s second symphony, though not one to grace the concert hall often, is full of some truly beautiful moments.

Norrington’s line up of a 16-strong wind section and eight double basses assembled along the back of the stage like some kind of fabulous bass army give the piece a real coherence and reinforce Schumann’s many nuances. Aside from the strings, the winds here are often astonishingly in tune with each other, a feat not easily achieved in a standard section, let alone with this evening’s double line-up. The brass give their emphasis with beautiful clarity, and the work closes with some fabulous timpani strokes. Such a memorable evening serves to further re-state the many guises of the RSNO, and has hopefully shown a new generation the possibilities of early music performance.