Brilliant Berlioz from Rafael Payare and the Philharmonia
Rafael Payare's star remains in the ascendant
Berlioz, Ortiz Pacho Florez (trumpets); Philharmonia Orchestra / Rafael Payare. Royal Festival Hall, London, 27.11.2025
Berlioz Le carnaval romain Overture (1843)
Ortiz Trumpet Concerto, 'Altar de Bronce' (2022), London premiere
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique (1830)
Rafael Payare is an exciting conductor who knows exactly which repertoire to work with: Berlioz suits his temperament to a tee, and it was the indeed that composer's works that linger on in the memory.
The Berlioz potion of the programme echoes Payare's recent release on Pentatone of those two works, but with the Orchestre Symphonique de Monrêal. The Roman Carnival Overture is classic, of course, and is intimately linked to the opera Benvenuto Cellini (the lovely cor nglis theme, so tenderly played here by Rebecca Kozam, comes form the aria, 'ÕTeresa, vous que j'aime plus que ma vie'.
Payare coducted both Berlioz pieces by mmory, and with a complete knowledge of the score. His conducing is certainly involved, but always 100% directed at the orchestra. Interestingly, he extracted a less wam sound fom the Phiilharmonia, perhaps suited to Berlioz's scoring. The violas in paricular shone (and, quite rightly, he asked them to stand to receive applause at the end along with Kozam). Berlioz's counterpoint emerged particularly clearly, and the composer's rhythmic trickery played out well. Gestures (the woodwind scales prior to the main theme of the fast section) were superb; and how creamy the trombones towards the end. A fine reading.
As was that of the Symphonie fantasique. Payare's ability to X-ray a score came to the fore here, detail upon detail revealed, the transition from the Largo ('Rëves) to the Allegro ('Passions') utterly perfect, The violins injected real urgency to their lines. This marriage of effect with structure was the key to he performance's success; Berlioz's writing (those snaking bassoon lines!) ever maintained its sense of forward narration, right to the perfectly-balanced chords of the first movement's close.
Nicc not only to have the cornet part in the 'Scène au bal,' but to have the player (Neil Brough) spatially separated from his colleagues (standing, on the other side of the stage). A touch more animated than on Payare's recent recoding, the tempo felt ideal and (not for the last time in this performance) it was the solo clarinet who shone from the woodwind solos (Maura Marinucci). The other woodwind standout was Kozam again, her baleful song ever poignant (and perfectly controlled). The problem here was the off-stage oboe, too distanced (at one point, Berlioz does introduce other instruments while the two are dialoguing, and there the oboe was all but lost; it is perfectly judged o the recording). But the unfolding of this movement was exceptional, unrushed, the perfect pace, wih much affectionate detail on the journey: proper drama at the string tremolos, and clarinet and pizzicato sings heard at at least pppp.
With this kind of colou sensitivity, it is no surprise that the effects of the march to the scaffold ('Marche au supplice') were pronounced: rasping stopped horns, for example. Payare seemed intent on binging out the sco's modernity, something carried through to the Witches' Sabbath finale, enhanced by the bright string tone up high and a positively manic E flat clarinet (Jennifer McLaren). Brass interjections were as one unit; the bassoons (led by Robin O'Neill) were virtuosic; an impressive performance.
This was the London premiere of Gabriela Ortiz' Trumpet Conceto, 'Alar de Bronce' featuring one of the finest trumpeters of our ime, Pacho Flores (whose performanc3e of D'Rivera's Concerto Venezolano with Payare (with the OSM this time, in Montréal's Olympic Park) was unforgettable (review). Here at the RFH, Flores entered carrying there trumpets, with Payare carrying the fourth for him; this 20 minute-plus work was clearly to be a virtuoso affair, and so it was. This Philharmonia commission follows on from Ortiz's Violin Concerto, 'Altar de cuerda,' presented in London by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Dudamel at the Barbican in June last year (review). I was less than enthustiasic bout ht piece (describing it as a 'a meandering journey'); I am even less so about this 20-minute string of gestures. Any brass player will revel in Flores' mastery, his command of all aspects of his craft, including range, and the perfect articulation of the opening fanfare (taken from Ortiz' 2021 Tin-Tan-Fanfaria y Mambo) against glittering, shimmering sounds from the orchestra. Flores' tuning is perfect, and a little bit of air to his sound adds expressivity to the quieter moments. Dialogues between solo trumpet and orchestral trumpets are fairly frequent and effective, the trumpet ripieno often used in echo (perhaps this could have been seen as a pre-echo of the cornet/trumpet separation in the Berlioz!). Flores' warmth of tone on the lower-pitched trumpets was spectacular. A cadenza includes orchestral interjections; percussion have a sheaf of things to keep them occupied. And there is a lot of fun to the final stages (which were composed in the spirit of Latin music, at Flores' request). But the music is permanently vacuous, a succession of rhythm and colour, and little else.
Here's a live performance of the Ortiz featuring Flores with the Galicia Symphony Orchestra:
Ironically, Flores' encore, his own waltz for trumpet and orchestra, Morocota, far eclipsed the Ortiz, its deliberate nostalgia beautifully touching. Here it is, from Flores' DG album, Estirpe:
The Philharmonia progamme booklet is free, but comes with a shedload of caveats: Berlioz's Roman Carnival Overture was not written in 1901 (Berlioz died in 1869), and while the composition date for the Symphonie fantasique is correct, Berlioz' own dates seem to have shifted between the Overture (which are also correct, 1803-69) and the symphony, for which apparently Hector lived from 1835-1921; bizarrely, if that were ture, he could have written the overture in 1901! The erroneous birth and death dates are acually those of Camille Saint-Saëns. Not to mention, it would have been interesting to find out what Berlioz wrote during the Expressionist period … oh, yes, and the Ortiz was composed in 2022 (Boosey & Hawkes entry), not, as the booklet suggests, 2025. No wonder there was a spoken introduction (by pecussionist Tom Edwards).
Rafael Payare's star remains in the ascendant, and he clearly as a fine rapport with the Philhamonia. He might even be seen as a breath of fresh air – I hope there is more to come.
You can buy Estrellita here, and Payare's Berlioz disc here, both via Amazon.
