Louisa Tuck, the youngest principal cellist in the UK, delivered a searing performance of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s heart-breakingly soulful Kai at The Sage Gateshead. Dedicated to the memory of cellist Kai Scheffler, the cello concerto is a work shot through with jazz inflexions and the blues, with a bass guitar and side drum thrown into the mix. Drawing a rich timbre from her instrument, Tuck conveyed the opening cry of anguish and contrasting passages of serene grief with utter conviction. An intense performer, she was a picture of concentration; her head bobbing to the beat during a furious cadenza. Tuck’s playing was finely meshed with the Northern Sinfonia players, who drove the relentless rhythms forward with relish; at one point the strings exchanging their bows for cow bells. The final plucked passage, abruptly ending Turnage’s lament, concluded a brilliant performance. The evening’s concert, under the baton of the dynamic Kristjan Jarvi, opened with Stravinsky’s Jeu de cartes, translated as The Card Party. It was a rendition that brimmed with character. The evening was rounded off with Richard Strauss’ Divertimento - eight movements of richly orchestrated music based on Couperin’s harpsichord pieces. Jarvi fashioned a charming account, with the strings generating a lush full-bodied sound. The Le Tic-toc-choc movement, emulating a horse's hooves, was magically conveyed by the woodwinds, while the rumbustious fifth movement had Jarvi almost dancing a jig. The rush to the finale was quite exhilarating. The audience was smaller than usual, but the adventurous who came were well rewarded.
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