The winds of change were blowing at the London Symphony Orchestra with the first of three concerts headed by chief conductor designate Antonio Pappano. Steeped in drama and storytelling, this lively program of Liszt and Richard Strauss, with a substantial new work by Hannah Kendall, played right into his hands.
Tapping into her Guyanese ancestry, UK-born Kendall’s O flower of fire is a musical creation myth with a difference. Inspired by ancient Chaldean teachings, west African lore and the poetry of Guyananese political activist Martin Carter, it recalls the formation of land where water meets the sky. Kendall peppers the standard orchestra with oddball instruments: there are two prepared harps that plunk and rattle; a phalanx of wheezy harmonicas wielded by wind players and percussionists; tiny, tinkling music boxes that require regular winding; even metal dreadlock cuffs. Mastering the score with a clear beat, Pappano’s determined gestures brought out the elemental theatrics in flickering, microtonal music that felt strange, new, and more than a little mysterious.
