In their different ways, both Stravinsky and Copland turned to the vernacular to lend authenticity and atmosphere to their ballet scores. Stravinsky incorporated folk tunes and popular song to depict the hurdy-gurdy players and wet nurses of St Petersburg’s bustling Shrovetide fair in Petrushka. For Billy the Kid, Copland used cowboy songs to paint a wild west settlement with its outlaws, saloons and gunfights. Fast-forward 80 years and Gabriel Kahane added a flavour of folk music, though without quoting anything specific, to spice up his clarinet concerto. Written for New York Philharmonic principal clarinet Anthony McGill, the work’s European premiere formed the centrepiece of a lively concert conducted with visible enthusiasm by Ryan Bancroft.
The concerto opened with McGill slipping in seamlessly over shimmering tuned percussion and string glissandi. Elegant scalar passages led into a songful section with a jazz-meets-klezmer vibe. This is immensely likable music, with McGill a confident and stylish soloist. Orchestral textures featured pianos – both grand and muted upright – as well as celesta and percussion, the latter more often than not played unconventionally. The slow movement with its drawn-out lyrical lines found McGill cucumber cool, before eerie bowed vibraphone and a hair-raising cadenza launched a finale with a touch of an Irish jig about it. Kahane himself added a nice personal touch, taking to the stage to sing and play piano for McGill’s silky smooth encore.
The Copland got off to an uneven start, the orchestra never quite capturing the mystery of the open prairie, though at full-throttle they certainly caught its majesty. In a neat move, Bancroft turned to the audience to play a mean tin whistle and introduce the frontier town. The Mexican dance, gun battle and celebratory polka were tight and spirited, even if there were occasional moments of slack ensemble.
Petrushka suffered from a similarly rocky opening, not helped by Bancroft bringing down the baton while the audience was still applauding. Individual solos were characterfully pungent though not all were ideally secure. Clarinet, bassoon and piano stood out, with a hearty laugh for the flatulent rasp of the contrabassoon. Elsewhere, though, boisterous excitement sometimes came at the expense of nuance and balance.
• Available on BBC Sounds until 12 October. The Proms continue until 12 September
