Very interesting programme, and I'm a fan of Truls Mørk so I couldn't resist. I now cannot wait for the Delius opera that they played an excerpt from, which is being done in concert at the Royal Festival Hall in September apparently.
I reviewed it for Bachtrack. Read it here:
http://www.bachtrack.com/review-bbc-symphony-barbican-storgards-mork-rautavaara-sibelius
Here's a preview:
Finnish cellist Truls Mørk then joined the stage for the UK premiere of Rautavaara's second Cello Concerto "Towards the Horizon". Like the broadly neo-romantic first cello concerto of 1968 the new concerto open with the cello intoning dramatic double stops, though here the orchestra is involved from the beginning and the tone is darker, more intense, more angst ridden. It's a very lyrical work, with dense string clusters adding a hazy romance to its darkly brooding melodies, but overall it cant quite sustain its duration, with faster episodes particularly flagging in inspiration. There is however a very arresting cantilena for the cello in its highest register which comes back repeatedly, perhaps the works' strongest idea, clearly influenced by Tavener's The Protecting Veil but without that piece's extraordinary individuality of tone.
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