THE omens for the National Symphony Orchestra's recent British re mixed. From the home perspective, the fact that the orchestra would be playing under its principal conductor, Kasper de Roo, seemed more negative than positive. De Roo has never in my experience brought the orchestra's playing remotely near its full potential. And the now extensive list of Naxos and Marco Polo CDs that the orchestra has to its credit can do nothing to promote awareness of the principal conductor's name, as he's yet to feature on any of the recordings.
The pre tour concert itself had some of the long established hall marks of RTE's topsy turvy programming Barry Douglas (whose real strength is in late 19th century romantic music) in Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto, and two 20th century works (Stravinsky's Firebird Suite and Ravel's Mother Goose) which the orchestra hadn't played for two to three years. The inclusion of Gerald Barry's short Flamboys as an opener, however, did reflect the commitment which Kasper de Roo has shown towards Irish composers.
Although the number of his appearances here is very limited, within the current season he has programmed works by Stephen Gardner, Seoirse Bodley and Fregerick May as well as the Barry which was taken on tour.
In England and Scotland the tour took in venues in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London the omens were rather better. There were positive previews in a number of national newspapers, linking the orchestra to positive developments in Irish cultural identity. The Times ran a headline declaring, "Here come Dublin's finest and Hilary Finch's article suggested that "The orchestra draws its new sense of identity, bravado even ... above all from the appointment, three years ago, of Kasper de Roo as principal conductor." She found space, too, to note some shortcomings, grave lack of educational work and the fact that "nobody has spent, serious time with the players working on the 18th century repertoire which must be an orchestra's prime nourishment.
In the Financial Times, Antony Thorncroft, offered the paradoxical suggestion that "It is perhaps Ireland's great musical tradition which has held back orchestral music there". Yet he also convene the message that "RTE is starting to promote its orchestra and to bask in its undoubted improvement" and daringly described de Roo as "an inspired choice young enough to have style solid enough to curb the players' exuberance".
Keith Bruce in Glasgow's Herald, delved rather, deeper into the politics of music in Ireland, quoting RTE's head of music, Cathal MacCabe, as being "critical of the lack of support the orchestra is receiving from the Irish government" and also complaining about an increase in the rental RTE, as "the only milk cow", has to pay for its use of the NCH. MacCabe is also quoted to the effect that RTE keeps "all 93" members of the NSO on the payroll, with full pension rights", an interesting statement, given that the musicians' union, SIPTU, can only trace 115 out of the national total of 137 jobs in RTEs two orchestras filled at the end of 1996 there are 44 musicians in the RTECO.
An inquiry to the NSO's publicity arm yielded only two reviews, from Neville Garden in the Scotsman (reviewing from Edinburgh) Barry, Millington in the reviewing from London.
Flamboys was pounced on by both reviewers ("added up to nothing discernible", "arid piledriver unisons") and Barry Douglas's style in Beethoven did not win much favour, "not inspiring" and "unexceptionable, but also unexceptional". The strongest impression was made in Ravel's Mother Goose, where the Scotsman thought the wind playing "a delight" the Times also found "some sensitive playing" in the Ravel and parts of the Stravinsky.
OTHER reviews (apparently unseen by RTE more than a week after the end of the tour) appeared in the Herald and the London independent. And well might RTE want to keep these secret. The ghost of the NSO's 1993 visit to Liverpool, when the orchestra numbered about as many as the audience, returned.
"An embarrassingly small turnout (downstairs only, and that well short of even half full)" recorded the Herald's Kenny Mathieson echoing the Scotsman's comment about "a very sparse audience" in Edinburgh". The Herald found most to praise in the Ravel, least in the Beethoven ("mismatch of artist and repertoire"), and recorded Flamboys as "an enjoyably compact exercise".
The Independent's Raymond Monelle finds praise for the wind in the Ravel but little else. Douglas "sounded bored to death" and de Roo is felt to be "a time beater ... like a military bandmaster. He is impossible to watch, even for the audience it must be a great trial to play under him".
This is surely a shocking, reception for the NSO's first international venture under its current principal conductor. And the question needs to be asked, "Who will be shocked by it?" RTE, which has yet to make any meaningful, public response to the organisation's musical short comings as detailed in the PIANO report? Michael D. Higgins, the Minister for Arts and Culture, who has sat for a year on that report's recommendation to remove the NSO from the stifling control of RTE?
It was the Minister himself who commissioned the report. Its most far reaching recommendation, immediately welcomed by the musicians, opened up a real avenue for turning the NSO into a more vibrant and vital national, cultural institution, an avenue which the Minister seems to be steadfastly ignoring. The opportunity is calling to him now, louder than ever. A failure to respond during his few remaining months in office with this Government would constitute a major blot on his record.
