Ellington orch. Gould Solitude (1934), Mood Indigo (1930), Sophisticated Lady (1932), Caravan (1936)
Mary Lou Williams Zodiac Suite (1944-6) [UK premiere]
Braxton Composition no.27 (+ nos. 46, 59, 63, 146, 147, 151 & Language Music) (1972-91) [Proms premiere]

Mikaela Bennett (soprano), Aaron Diehl (piano), James Fei (saxophone/conductor), Gregory Hutchinson (drum kit), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophones), Brandon Lee (trumpet), Chris Lewis (clarinet/saxophone), David Wong (double bass), Katherine Young (bassoon/conductor), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra / Ilan Volkov

Royal Albert Hall, London
Thursday 15 August 2024

reviewed by Richard Whitehouse Photos (c) Sisi Burn

Never a conductor to take the path of least resistance, Ilan Volkov centred his latest Prom with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (whose Creative Partner he remains) around jazz – not that there was anything orthodox about the repertoire or the follow-through in what was heard.

The four Duke Ellington numbers heard tonight became standards in the Depression era, their pioneering spirit stylishly offset in orchestrations by Morton Gould (the first three on 1957’s Blues in the Night and the fourth on 1956’s Jungle Drums). Solitude ranks among Ellington’s most affecting tunes, while his sultry Mood Indigo proved an inspired co-write with Barney Bigard. The present arrangement fully enhanced the teasing elegance of Sophisticated Lady, before the expressive impetus of the Juan Tizol co-write Caravan left its evocative imprint.

Pianist and arranger for artists from Ellington to Cecil Taylor, Mary Lou Williams’ music only posthumously came to the fore. She wrote nothing more ambitious than Zodiac Suite – a series of 12 tributes to musicians born under various star signs, as went through several incarnations at the end of the Second World War and remains a trailblazer for symphonic jazz. As realized here, each item left room for contributions by the assembled jazz or orchestral musicians: thus the incisiveness of Brandon Lee’s trumpet or mellifluousness of Chris Lewis’ clarinet and alto sax, besides stealthy interplay by the Aaron Diehn Trio (above) or a soulful violin solo by guest-leader Kate Suthers. The sequence concluded with Pisces and an agile vocal (lyrics not printed) by Mikaela Bennett – its manner (surprisingly?) redolent of mid-20th century American art-song.

From here to Anthony Braxton proved a fair conceptual leap, but a meaningful one within this context. One, moreover, for which Volkov has prepared painstakingly across almost a decade – working with several of Braxton’s longer-term collaborators (notably George Lewis), while performing several Braxton compositions duly rendered as the superimposed totality he openly encourages. What resulted was Composition No. 27 as a framework for this performance, into which elements from six later ‘Compositions’ were integrated – this whole entity underpinned by recourse to Language Music, collating 12 musical parameters in what is the codification of Braxton’s practice over six decades. The creative aspect arises at a point when the fullest extent of compositional systematization links with the furthest extent of improvisational spontaneity.

The interaction between jazz and orchestral musicians was intricate and unpredictable, so that saxophonist James Fel and bassoonist Katherine Young – but not the always inventive Ingrid Laubrock (above) – were often conductors next to Volkov in determining the overall trajectory. There were occasions when continuity felt tentative or uncertain, yet these were outweighed by the translucent allure in much of the ensemble playing as well as the resolve with which all those participating headed toward a culmination the more definite for its seeming inconclusiveness. Not that this performance commended itself to all those present, with several dozen exiting the auditorium as though insects under siege. Those who stayed were rewarded with music-making such as encouraged an active participation all too rare in present-day concertgoing.

For more on this year’s festival, visit the BBC Proms website. For further information, click on the artist names for more on Ilan Volkov and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and on the composer names for information on Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams and Anthony Braxton.

Published post no.2,275 – Monday 16 August 2024