Brahms’ Fourth Symphony – Huddersfield Town Hall

Conductor: Garry Walker

Soloist: Alexander Gavrylyuk

This was another of Opera North’s ingenious concert programmes linking the various pieces in some way. This time it was four pieces that used music of the past as a basis for something new. Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Thomas Ades’ Three Studies from Couperin were self-explanatory. This left Brahms to open and close the concert with his joyous Academic Festival Overture which utilises student drinking songs including Gaudeamus igitur (dating back to the 13th century) and his mighty Fourth Symphony which concludes with a modern version of the old Baroque form, the Passacaglia.

It’s somehow appropriate that the Orchestra of Opera North should be inclined to the dramatic in their approach to well-known works and, under the baton of Music Director Garry Walker, there were times when the thrills and excitement predominated a little too much over the lyrical, though the orchestra’s precision held with very few exceptions.

Of course this made the Academic Festival Overture especially glorious. It’s a well known story, but it should put to bed the image of Brahms as a grump that somehow prevails. Who else, awarded an honorary degree in his mid-40s, would respond to the request for a piece to play at the ceremony with a glorious, at times humorous arrangement of student drinking songs? Here Walker began in notably subdued, even mysterious, vein so that the songs burst out in full splendour, finishing with the wonderful tutti for Gaudeamus igitur. You could visualise the broad grins on the faces of the students of Breslau University at first hearing.

The last movement of Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 was similarly effective.. Based on a short theme by Bach, it moves like a glacier, slightly transforming the theme each time it occurs and building to a vehement declaration, trombones (saved till this movement) to the fore along with trumpets. The final bars blazed out a monumental finish to the evening.

Prior to this the third movement, a wonderfully energetic scherzo, was dispatched with superb attack after the density of expression of the first two movements. Notable among the woodwind soloists was Luke O’Toole with a delicate flute solo in the more introspective central section of the fourth movement.

To return to the first half, Alexander Gavrylyuk sent us out to our ice creams wondering at his virtuoso playing in Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, moving from sparkling delicacy to powerful dynamism, with the power to compete with an orchestra in blazing form. The famous Variation 18 appeared unexpectedly, as it should: a meditative piano statement boosted by a growing orchestral presence, then ultimately returning to the solo piano. Gavrylyuk matched Rachmaninov’s sense of humour in the quirky bit of Paganini to end on.

As for Thomas Ades, his re-settings of Couperin preserved the melodies and rhythms of three harpsichord pieces while surrounding them with instrumental sound very much of the 21st century, including a percussion section which was never intrusive, but coloured the music perfectly. The effect was totally delightful, especially the opening Les Amusemens. 

Reviewed on 23 April 2026