This was the first of an extended series of concerts by the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Hall to revisit major works by Michael Tippett. The composer, as often happens, has experienced a decline in performances since his death over a decade ago and it is certainly time to reconsider his output. The Brighton Festival made a start earlier this year with a concert performance of King Priam but there is a good case to be made for at least a series of concert performances of all the operas, not least Midsummer Marriage, which should surely be in the regular repertoire of one of our major companies.

The Triple Concert may seem a strange place to start. Written to a commission in 1979, it is an enjoyable piece but hardly amongst the best of his output. The solo parts are well written, and Lawrence Power’s opening viola solos was immensely satisfying. The work lurches from a delicate intimacy to familiar, if extravagant, brass fanfares. Percussion is featured throughout, though there is no over-use simply for effect. The central nocturne is the most pleasing part of the composition, its heady almost sweet-scented tactility giving a languid sense of ennui to the whole.

For those of us who, for whatever reason, were unable to attend the recent Royal Opera revival of The Ring, the second half of the concert under Mark Wigglesworth gave us a lightning tour. If Henk de Vlieger’s orchestral adventure leaves one slightly breathless it is hardly the fault of the composer. De Vlieger brings together many of the purely orchestral sections, sequeing smoothly in most cases from one to the other. One good example was the way he takes the sword motif at the end of Rheingold and moves, via the end of Act Two of Walkure straight into the prelude to Act Three. Similarly there is a pleasing transition from the Waldweben through the fire music to a serene awakening of Brunnhilde. The final sections seemed more familiar and were played with a speed and dynamic that is not always apparent in the opera house. I can’t say I would like to live with this arrangement on a regular basis, but it did make me realise what I had missed by not being at the Royal Opera House!  BH