Birmingham Symphony Hall, 17 January 2013

Outside, the temperature was well below zero and the snow was swirling in a bitter wind; inside, we were engulfed by the prospect of Spring in most recent of Birmingham’s celebratory concerts for the Britten anniversary.

The sea is never far from Britten’s compositions but here we were in the company of his masters. Frank Bridge is still unfairly overlooked as his impassioned tone poems The Sea easily demonstrated. What is surprisingly telling about these four scenes is the very English nature of the writing. He wrote them in Eastbourne, as Debussy had commenced La Mer in the same spot a few years earlier. Yet the textures and the dynamic impact is of a far more bracing and northern aspect than Debussy’s more impressionistic writing. Moonlight seems to show the crisp coolness of a south-England night, rather than the heady romanticism of Debussy’s Claire de lune. Storm is equally effective with the harp providing a spray of light above the weight of the brass. This work really should be heard as frequently as its French cousin.

Elgar’s Sea Pictures are certainly more familiar but it is rare to hear the words as clearly as we did from Kelley O’Connor. Her rather indulgent approach to the songs, and some tightness at the top of the voice meant that this was not as smooth as it could have been (and may be more polished tonight when there is a repeat performance) but Edward Gardner brought an emotional splash to the orchestra which carried the narrative with panache. The lingering sense of death which underpins these songs was well captured, contrasting finely with the naivety of much of the text.

The second half brought an impressively large chorus onto the platform for Britten’s Spring Symphony, with the CBSO Youth and Children’s choruses in spirited form, to say nothing of their whistling in part one. Kelly O’Connor was joined by Susan Gritton and Allan Clayton, to guide us through the vicissitudes of awakening spring, exploding in the final section into the glorious riot of Soomer is icoomen in. Earlier Edward Gardner had found a gentle urgency within The Morning Star and the necessary drive and intensity for Fair and Fair.

It was something of a shock to come out into the evening blizzard but the thought of Spring not too far away will remain with us for some time. BH