TASMIN Little is no stranger to the RSNO, having made her latest CD with them and already booked for an Albert Hall Prom this summer. So it was no surprise to see the delight on her face appearing with the orchestra in last night's Scottish Power Prom, conducted by Barry Wordsworth.
Little was there for a performance of Brahms's great Violin Concerto. Far from being a sea of lush romanticism, this score contains a lot of stormy passion, perfectly suited to Little's musical temperament. Her rapport with the orchestra was evident right from the start, stunning them in her first-movement cadenza with her violin sounding like a full choir of voices.
The central movement of this concerto is a glorious outpouring of lyricism and Little brought to it a truly song-like approach, her phrases offset by the warm tones of the accompanying oboe of Stephane Rancourt. This spirited performance was capped by tremendous rhythmic attack on the finale, reflecting the rich spice and flavour of the Hungarian-style. The near-capacity audience were thrilled and by the look of the smile on her face, so was Tasmin Little.
Elgar's Enigma Variations must be one of the most openly personal scores in the orchestral repertoire yet it speaks to so many people. Few of last night's audience could fail to be moved by this draining performance by the RSNO. Wordsworth approached each variation with an even tempo and striking attention to detail. The strength with which Nimrod emerged from a still opening to a massive conclusion was quite overpowering, contrasted elsewhere in the more flippant movements.
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