If there were any question about the status of composer Django Bates at age 41, a glance at the list of people he nods to in this concert - Gershwin, Stravinsky and Bernstein - ought to say it all. Bates calls his new work for orchestra a celebration of jazz. In his programme note, though, he did not balk at poking Gershwin in the eye when pointing out that by jazz he means glorious improvisation, not an opera singer doing Summertime.
Bates's most vicious blows were reserved for the funders who make opera rich and jazz poor. Perhaps it was this preoccupation that made Priceless a less-than-exuberant piece, growling and grumbling its way around the opening, lifting two fingers by quoting Beethoven's Fifth. Embracing an element of improvisation for the musicians of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bates nevertheless brought in a concertante element in the shape of his longtime collaborator, tenor saxophonist Iain Ballamy, in order to achieve a proper glorification of the improvisational art.
Ballamy's supreme skill was evident in this premiere, but while there was a clear, organic development and elaboration of ideas in the orchestra as it responded to his lead, the textures were not always well judged. Six double basses were busy bowing away, but were devalued, not making their point heard. The piece only took off in the home straight, when the vibrant percussion got their heads and, in a lively and forceful exchange with Ballamy, almost stole the honours.
This was a great night to be a percussion or a brass player, with the big-band and outsize-band repertoire putting them in the limelight. Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue was performed in its original instrumentation for the Paul Whiteman band, more raw and pungent than the lusher and more commonly heard Grofé orchestration, with soloist Peter Jablonski giving it plenty of grit. It made An American in Paris seem indulgent by comparison.
Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, though delivered with Broadway sparkle by conductor Eric Stern, confirmed the effect of sensory overload in this programme. The real pearls were Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto, with clarinettist Robert Plane, and Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue and Riffs. Tightly conceived and impeccably performed, the latter had the ghosts of Benny Goodman and Woody Herman (for whom it was written) smiling down. They probably gave Bates the thumbs-up at the same time.
