Reflections in a shattered mirror

Karelia Suite - Sibelius

Concerto Grosso No 1 - Schnittke

Symphony No 5 in E flat - Sibelius

The musical world is still coming to terms with the large and uneven legacy of Alfred Schnittke, Russia's leading post-Shostakovich composer, who died on August 3rd this year. His 1977 Concerto Grosso for two violins and string orchestra has, however, established itself as one of his representative works. Fragments of baroque pastiche, dance music, and Mahlerian romanticism swirl around in clouds of dissonance, spiked with the sonorities of harpsichord and prepared piano, like reflections in a shattered mirror.

Lesley Hatfield and Boris Garlitsky shone in the bravura solo parts. This was an excellent and adventurous choice of repertoire - more please. The Ulster Orchestra is always at home in Sibelius, and Sitkovetsky's habitual attention to detail makes him a born exponent of this composer (the slight reserve which sometimes marks his performances does no harm at all). Scrupulous balance, precise articulation and attack, intent observance of dynamic differences - these may not sound like exciting qualities, but they are crucial in establishing the mood and atmosphere indispensable to a successful performance of this brooding music.

After bringing the symphony to a resounding conclusion, Sitkovetsky gave us the Valse Triste as an encore. It's a slight enough piece, and one wonders why it made such an impression in the 1890s, but this watchful performance made something of the music. The silences seemed charged with meaning.