This concert, by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra with their Principal Guest Conductor Ivan Volkov, consisted of three works by composer Jonathan Harvey. Specifically, three linked works were presented, all written specifically for this group, inspired by buddhist ideas of purification.
The first piece, Body Mandala, was a taut piece with two main kinds of material: one focused around complex, morphing sequences of brass chords, inspired by the low horns used in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, whilst the second kind of material consisted of rapid sequences of staccato chords alongside long runs on clarinet and flute. Overall, this combination of material was effective and the piece remained tight and focused.
Speakings, the second piece and most recent of the three pieces, was by far the most extensive and complex of the three. The piece was broken into three contiguous movements, which gave it a clear structure throughout its span. A distinctive element in this piece was the use of a computer system which, at points in the piece, processed the sound of the orchestra so as to shape it into patterns that followed the shape of some spoken-voice samples. This had mixed effects. In many parts of the work it simply added to the complexity of an already dense texture without adding much that was distinctive. When it was allowed to speak out, against a sparser or cleaner orchestra texture, it came into its own: a section in the second movement, and several points in the third movement, though the use of a baby’s cry to shape the sound in the opening and ending was perhaps a little cheap. Overall, the third movement, was the most effective, reaching two powerful points of rest, each followed by a primitive flute melody. The ever-ascending string patterns and swirling electronic sounds towards the end of the movement was particularly powerful.
Following the complexity of Speakings, the final piece, …towards a Pure Land was rather jarring in its simplicity. In many ways this was the closest to what a naïve listener might expect from a meditative, Buddhism inspired piece—washy string textures, wind effects from the percussion, fragments of ritualistic percussion, bells—but, the piece didn’t sink into new-age waffle, retaining interest throughout.
Overall, the standard of performance was excellent, with stand-out violin solos being performed with angular precision, and the complexity clarinet solos in the first piece being deftly handled. Overall, an interested insight into different aspects of how ritual and meditation has inspired a composer.