Review - Anne-Sophie Mutter, Daniel Barenboim and Staatskapelle Berlin, Philharmonie, Festtage 2017

Nostalghia (Takemitsu)
Violin Concerto (Beethoven)
La Mer (Debussy)
Three pieces for orchestra (Berg)

Anne-Sophie Mutter (Violin)
Staatskapelle Berlin
Daniel Barenboim (Conductor)

A rather ambitious programme, which displayed vast music colours and styles, began this year count down to the Easter weekend by the Staatskapelle Berlin. It began with Nostalghia, a twelve minutes work for solo violin and orchestra, as a minimalist reflection of the poetic film in the same title by Andrei Tarkovskij. Instead a reference to the plot and character, Takemitsu, also a cineast, was more interested by the form, movement and sound of water in the film. A slow and mysterious but moody opening was given with long notes hanging in the air. Scalic climb in diminished seventh reached the higher sonic range with harmonics. Glissando on strings evoked an eerie impression and double stops appeared randomly on the solo violin part. The slow tempo suspended the air in stillness reached a brief injection of emotions but faded again. A sudden violent outburst led to the cadenza passage for solo violin with a lot of vibrato at the climb to upper positions. Double stops were then replaced by harmonics and raw sound on the strings. Solo cello played a tense and expressive theme, before returning to the mysterious sound landscape with long notes on strings towards the coda.

In contrast to Takemitsu's dreamy and surreal sound landscape, the violin concerto by Beethoven was muscular, reassuring and bold. Though the employed tempo and phrasing made a sluggish performance despite the produced tone was polished and beautiful throughout. The orchestral introduction was rather full bodied and grand, but also rather vertical looking. Barenboim left the orchestra to phrase the music and only indicated entries than showing direction. A smooth and unhurried entry from Mutter though intonation was far from accurate on higher positions. Compare to Takemitsu, her playing carried more shape because of familiarity since playing the Beethoven's concerto for many years. Though she and Barenboim continued to be sluggish, which the playing began to feel unnecessarily slow and lacked momentum. A rather broad tempo at the cadenza with much rubato, and also heavy on vibrato and bow weight. Tuning also went flat in the technical demanding closing of the first movement.

Strings' lyrical opening of the second movement was tender but again too steady for my taste. Mutter consistently gave a sweet and clean playing but the slowness dragged the orchestral accompaniment along. One felt bored by the effect despite she achieved the intimacy with the softness in dynamics. The dramatic transition was rather abrupt by development and pouring more emotions at the passionate transition when reaching the last movement. Mutter finally loosen herself, which she gave a virtuosic technical display and more able to deliver the ebb and flow of emotions. The orchestral gallop was energetically corresponded by the beautiful tone quality. It was neither hurry over the double stops and gave sufficient time for each note to sing. An exquisite sweet and tender cadenza, which again Mutter's playing was seamlessly smooth in switching positions preceded the brilliant finale with urgency. Even so, I was not too thrill by the playing as a whole due to many questionable rubato employment and lacked the forwardness.

Interestingly the orchestra had more shape in its playing and regained the interest in their music making at the second half. The mysterious and eerie opening of Debussy's La Mer was followed by an ongoing of ebb and flow of emotions and dynamic contrasts. Though one still sensed the orchestra was observing than driving the momentum, and Barenboim seems rather cool on phrasing by only indicating entries. Yet the sunrise scene was beautifully played with a radiant tone colour followed by a romantic and rhythmically ever changing second movement. The playing was more connected and flowing than before, but it stayed within the vertical shape than moving forward. There was more momentum throughout the tempestuous third movement that depicting the wind and sea, compare to the calm and sunny state in previous movements. Strings gave a strong pulse in building up the violent gallop and answered by a magnificent brass fanfare. It was crisp and precise to sustain the dramatic outlook for an explosive finale.

Berg's music style instead took away the impressionist outlook and replaced with a disfigured appearance. The prelude had a level of weirdness in its development and unsettling as where it headed into. An explosive blast quickly tranformed into an expressive yet violent theme, while the percussion played continuously until the music died away. The second movement, titled 'round dance', was a deconstruction of tonality and the music returned to a fragmented state. The orchestra was far more engaging with direction when ploughing through the ebb of flow of violence and strangeness. Blazing brass reinforced the grotesque impression of the third movement, which followed by a tiring descend into the abyss before a dramatic return for more wild screams. The orchestral layers became more transparent and articulated despite the irregular rhythmic patterns. A war like bombardment from the brass and percussions for an exploding march to conclude the piece with a loud bang. It was as if the musical giant had reawaken for an energetic display but should have happened early on than at the end.

Photo credits: Staatsoper Berlin

Review - Dream of the Red Chamber (Bright Sheng), 2017 Hong Kong Arts Festival

Dai Yu - Pureum Jo
Bao Yu - Yijie Shi
Lady Wang - Hyona Kim
Bao Chai - Amanda Li
Granny Jia - Qiulin Zhang
Princess Jia - Karen Chia-ling Ho
Aunt Xue - Yanyu Guo
Maid - Carol Lin
Ladies in waiting - Wang Xi, Li Yang, Carol Lin
Eunuchs - Jasper Sung, Felix Suen, Alexander Chen

Die Konzertisten
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Muhai Tang (Conductor)
Stan Lai (Director)

A second opera in full production was given to conclude this year Arts Festival instead compare to the past years. Commissioned by the San Francisco Opera, Bright Sheng composed the music based on an abridged libretto of the well known classic novel by Cao Xueqin. The festival attempted to be more forward looking in its month long programmes but still retained a degree of conventional comfort within. Familiarity quickly captured the locals' attentions and both performances were already sold out in the early booking stage. Interestingly, the project was also advocated and supported by the Chinese American at first. For them seems an attempt to reconnect to their cultural root though presented in a western opera style. Neither difficult to see why this novel was chosen instead that the complicated plot resembled to a baroque or classical opera. The tale comprised a romance met by parental opposition and triangle love, which further developed by the royal household's favouritism and the mythical origin of the lovers from a divine rock and crimson flower.

Although the libretto was a convincing summary of the lengthy and complex plots, both the production and music quality were a mixed affair. Stan Lai's staging focused on scenic beauty and elaborate costumes alike those on a premium television drama. The grand hall of the Jia clan was spectacular with a grand entrance and in the background a full pictorial view of the Daguanyuan, which was the family vast landscaped garden. Scenes such as the dreamy representation of Dai Yu sailing to enter the Jia clan, and later video projecting of calligraphy symbolised the poems she wrote with Bao Yu, were visually effective and beautiful. It had a sense of emotional intimacy through colours and display of simplicity. Nevertheless, the black stage floor was a let down that below professional level with stickers, intended for markings and positions, visibly scattered around and particularly a big cross in the middle. One wondered why a special flooring was not use instead to match the quality backdrops. The moving of stage props during scene change was also noisy and not always sleek.

There were also many 'park and sing' routine, and dramaturgy often underwhelming and not able in realising the underlying emotions nor metaphors. The end of act one particularly resembled a septet coda alike operas by Rossini or Mozart, but the singers and chorus stood there for a cardboard wooden display than showing the mixed reactions as result of the emperor's wishes. Neither a sense of the majestic grandeur as the imperial messenger entered in slow march to announce the royal decree. The fallen Jia clan later during imperial guards' confiscation was far from demonstrating the emperor's will at its abusive height, which the guards were somehow too polite and soft for any violence. Bao Yu's erotic fantasy was also tame with dancers only flashing long linen cloths around him yet without any display of flash nor intimate contact. There seems to be a moral restrain to portray Bao Yu afraid of his physical desires, but an understatement of his playboy image in numerous relationship with housemaids instead of the lone romantic with Dai Yu.

The lavish display of stage sets gave the sense of time with an imaginative nostalgic glimpse, but far from providing the depth in examining the metaphorical symbolism that this novel emphasised heavily on. The beggars were supposed members of the fallen Jia clan recounting their past to present, but often their appearance seems sudden and took time for the cognitive realisation at first instance. Their first appearance at the mystic opening was also supposedly spirits than a fallen clan. Neither did the staging able to highlight the divine quality of the couple being transfigured from stone and flower, whom seeking for romance after three thousand years of nurturing. A stormy opening with heavy stage smoke was given for a quick theatrical display, but hardly an insight to the transformation from nature to mortal while the souls living as both in parallel. The dreamy conclusion seems a distant memory of the past, but it needed an answering to the mysterious opening instead of an open end in gloominess.

Bright Sheng's music style mixed a balance between tuneful lyrical passages and dissonant violent passages. There was a recurring motif alike an arpeggio in most expressive passages. Some pastoral moments even recalled the romanticism in the style of Delius. Thus, it was not difficult nor challenging for the ears to digest, but I found the repetition gradually lost my musical curiosity as the evening went on. The coda to each scenes was often abrupt and lacked intention for continuity. Otherwise, the music performance standard was generally on a high standard, even not a total success but compensated the shortfalls in the staging. Yijie Shi, as Bao Yu, had a good sense in phrasing the vocal line with a ringing tone. He projected his voice with focus and managed to sustain energy for the vocal presence. His tessitura could manage very high notes without sign of strain in the passionate duet with Bao Yu at act one. Though during Bao Yu's sorrowful aria on Dai Yu's worsening health and their passionate duet on committing to each other, his lower vocal register was not that secure and timbre lacking the tenderness and warmth. Sign of tiredness became apparent in the later half of act two as the voice colour became dull and diction was audibly difficult to understand.

Pureum Jo, who sang the role of Dai Yu, had a more transparent timbre and carried the line with ease. Her singing consistently produced a rich and solid tone colour, and particularly passionate in the

expressive duet with Bao Yu in act one. Diction was always clear and able to display the feelings effectively. Singers in the lesser roles like Hyona Kim, as Lady Wang, and Qinlin Zang, as Princess Jia, were also vocally strong. Kim made an impression of an emotional character particularly in act two being saddened by the death of Granny Gia and the imminent threat of Jia's clan falling out of royal favour. Her furious exchange with Bao Yu's refusal to marry Bao Chai was highly dramatic. Zang had a pleasant timbre with good vocal projection. Her recalling of caring for the young Bao Yu was moving, which the sung text were well phrased and always aimed the line with direction. Though Amanda Li, as Bao Cha, was rather weak that the voice did not able to project and lacked body in vocal volume. Her diction and tuning were not secure when Bao Yu rejected Bao Cha's persuasion for marriage. Yanyu Guo, who sang of Aunt Xue and mother of Bao Cha, was even less ideal with a wobbly voice and one hardly understood what she was singing.

I could be biased to praise my choir Die Konzertisten delivered many strong moments by sympathising to the challenges that my fellow choir members encountered. Without a prompter on stage, it was difficult for them to see the conductor's from distance, particularly when the men were in heavy armour costumes and formation. The choral singing maintained clarity of the text throughout, secured intonation and rhythmic precision, especially during the opening and ending chorus at such swift tempo. The philharmonic orchestra also provided a strong backbone as the orchestral accompaniment. Their playing was well balanced with the singers and never drown them out, and gave dramatic playing when required. Muhai Tang's conducting was uneven though, which the coordination between orchestra and singers was more secured in the first half than second. There were moments that one could detect the band was behind the singers, and felt Tang did not always have a structure in mind that as result the playing was sluggish and sometimes out of shape. Perhaps that was why towards the end the focus seems lost and became a dull affair away from the fascination captured at first place.