The LSO and Yuja Wang, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, play Rachmaninoff Paino Concerto No. 2. Photo by: Suzanna Hayek
The London Symphony Orchestra has returned to the Barbican Centre after an absence of 14 months.
Despite a smaller number of orchestra members playing due to distancing measures, the LSO put on an electrifying show last week. Headed by Michael Tilson Thomas and featuring the phenomenal Yuja Wang on piano, the performance did not fall short of leaving the audience in awe.
The concert started with the melancholic Last Spring by Grieg, followed by Rachmaninoff’s apogee of emotion, Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor. Yuja Wang captivated the audience with her breathtaking execution of Rachmaninoff’s intricate concerto.
The audience did not seem to get enough of Wang. As she walked off stage, the applause continued, so she returned for a second round of waving at the attendees. It felt as though the audience were simply ecstatic to be back in a concert hall. They appeared more present in the moment and showed a greater appreciation for the performance than pre-Covid times.
Amanda Truelove, a cellist in the LSO for the past 30 years, and also my landlady, said that pre-Covid, the afternoon concerts would not have that vibrant energy about them. It was also quite rare for the concert hall to be that full during the afternoon shows. The concert was sold out, but Amanda had managed to get me a ticket.
The show ended with the glorious Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven, which saw Tilson waving his baton like a magic wand as he put his own spin on the symphony, which Beethoven completed in 1808.
After the show, I sat down with Truelove in a café during her one-hour break before her next show for that day. It was the first time that Amanda and I had a long conversation together because we had been strictly adhering to Covid rules.
She said she started playing the cello at the age of 11, after a teacher came into her class and asked if anyone was interested in learning the cello.
None of the students expressed interest except for Ms. Truelove, who raised her hand–only to be told that she was too old. She burst into tears, so they made an exception for her. From then onwards, Truelove was focused on cello.
Truelove told me today’s school children do not have the same access to music lessons she had during her time. She said it was due to cuts in government spending on the arts. Truelove could not imagine what her life would have been like, if she had not been offered the chance to play the cello.
London does not have a proper venue for an orchestra claimed Truelove. There were plans to initiate one, but the plans were shelved she said.
The government’s support of the arts has been on the decline. A few months ago, a government-run campaign urged artists to retrain and switch professions.