Review - Edo de Waart, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, 15 September 2018

Overture to William Tell (Rossini)
Saxophone Concerto (John Adams)
Symphony No. 2 (Brahms)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Timothy McAllister (saxophone)
Edo de Waart (conductor)

It was an interesting to hear how the orchestra responded to its former music director on the podium again. The cello solo employed a broad tempo to begin the overture with a lot of vibrato in rich tone. A quiet start to the storm section before exploding into a full thundering climax. Though under a steady tempo the impact was not as terrifying as expected. Beautiful duet between the cor anglais and flute during the pastoral scene. The closing gallop was tidy and majestic, also effective accelerando geared towards a triumphant close.

John Adams's saxophone concert felt alike a busy rhythmic exercise for the soloist. Fragmented patterns jointed jazz and blues together for a hurry and restless ride. The brass kept the momentum going but hard to tell where the music was sailing to. At reaching the middle of the first movement then the orchestra played without the soloist. The dreamy transition was enigmatic yet the saxophone solo had a more lyrical part than previously. The music landscape became flatter and calmer before returning to fierce gallop, and then retreated to a quiet end.

The second movement dominated by syncopated patterns and stayed vigorous on momentum. It was a tight dance in irregular phrases but also abstract as to where the music was heading to. Timothy McAllister sustained the energy throughout in his playing and kept the music flowing naturally. Though the dynamic and emotion contrast were more able to display in his encore.

The orchestra kept the dawn awakening like introduction to Brahms's second symphony flowed with a warm gentle tone and not too weighty in body. Neither aggressive at the climatic exuberance and stayed bright with a lot of legato to sustain the line. Though whether to do with de Waart's conducting style, the winds sometimes felt a fraction behind the strings. Tempo was rather laid back for a gentle and unhurried gallop at the end of the first movement.

The cellos began the noble theme of the second movement in a mellow warm tone that gave a tender and sunny impression. A misty respond from the winds against the emotional outpouring from the strings. Yet as in Brahms's style sentimental negotiation never reach a full answer but hold back by the recapitulation of the noble theme. The tragic sentiments gained more weight before resolving to a quiet end.

The winds began the pastoral scene of the third movement with a busy strings' part underlaid. Rhythmically it gained momentum yet carried more lyricism within.

An explosive start to the last movement in an energetic gallop. The transitions felt rather enigmatic though, which the lines would have been more effective if there was an aim than a mere shape. The majestic theme was passionately rendered in a warm tone. After a long negotiation the music finally located the end in certain with a glorious triumphant conclusion.

Review - Jaap and Joshua Bell, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, 8 September 2018

Academic Festival Overture (Brahms)
Violin Concerto (Sibelius)
Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" (Mozart)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Joshua Bell (violin)
Jaap van Zweden (conductor)

Like the season opening performance before, a festive symphonic overture is programmed for an uplifting start. Though the orchestra was too energetic throughout Brahm's Academic Festival Overture, and as a whole it felt lacking character and essence. Jaap probably felt the swift tempo would keep the momentum going than dragging along. Yet already restless than being mysterious at the tip toe like beginning. By reaching the first triumphant climax then the orchestra was more stable and let the music sang. Despite displaying the tonal contrast, it galloped in hurry and occasionally lost in details.

The first violin began Sibelius's Violin Concerto with a spellbinding pianissimo and set the stage for the solo violin. Bell's playing produced a sweet rich tone with clarity, but his bowing did not always have the smoothness to sustain the long line and sometimes felt abrupt. He approached from a sentimental perspective by employing a lot of vibrato. His playing was passionate and expressive on the ebbs and flows of emotions, rather than holding back the sentiments in stillness. Despite a challenging part to play, tuning on the double stops were noticeably a hit and miss Whereas the orchestra strings seems holding back their response to avoid being overpowering. Interestingly, I thought there was a brief moment alike the motive of Siegfried's assassination from Wagner's Götterdämmerung towards the end of the first movement.

Bell began the second movement beautifully on the lush expressive violin part, yet the horns' accompaniment did not sound convincing. Occasionally I felt Bell put too much weight on the bow that it felt too rich and sticky than allowing his playing to flow more. The orchestra achieved more charity and locating its voice in the tragic response. Yet the syncopated section not really able to build up the climax despite effective dynamic contrast.

A busy start into the third movement for the solo violin part, but Bell was driving the tempo so much that his phrasing not quite grasping the shape of the polonaise dance. Tuning was very good with the harmonics and not so with the arpeggio climbs to the high positions. As a whole I felt mixed by Bell's playing, but after learning from friend's past experience, Bell could have been experimenting different approaches than giving a  straightforward interpretation.

I had not been impressed by Jaap's Mozart in the past but what he achieved from the orchestra on the "Jupiter" symphony changed my mind completely. Finally a more relaxing tempo was adopted for the first movement and the playing was very polished. Perhaps the violins could employ more accents in the down bow to give more rhythmic excitement than only sustaining the elegant impression. Contrast in tone colours at counterpoints was effective with beautiful tone at the majestic recapitulation. A flowing elegant impression was made at the beginning of the second movement. The sadness and solemnity at the tragic transition seems a reference to earlier piano concertos by Mozart. Later the landscape became smooth with a sweet and clean tone, while being sedate and slightly sentimental. The third movement became an elegant and majestic dance in thicker texture than the movement before. The orchestra was very responsive and immediate with the gallops in the last movement that kept the momentum forward. The brilliancy of Italian opera fanfare like section was effectively realised. The bright tone gave the dance like movement a flamboyant touch. The final gallop was energetic with the sheer rhythmic excitement that gave more audio satisfaction than the first half.

(Photo credit: Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra)

Review - The 45th season opening performance of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, 1 September 2018

Overture to the Abduction from the Seraglio (Mozart)
Violin Concerto (Stravinsky)
Symphony No. 2 (Rachmaninov)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Leila Josefowicz (violin)
Jaap van Zweden (conductor)

The overture to Mozart's exotic opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail is supposedly a lively curtain raiser by including a large battery of percussion with the strings and winds. Yet the philharmonic orchestra seems more indifferent to that idea and gave a lukewarm account in its rendition. Jaap took a steady tempo that aimed for refinement than after a dramatic interpretation. The strings particularly lacked dynamic contrast nor making the colour to enrich their playing. A friend thought perhaps to do with the orchestra being too big than the right formation, but I felt the heart and mind were not in place.

The orchestral playing was certainly more passionate in the Stravinsky and musically carried more contrast and interest. An energetic introduction was given between the winds and solo violin that felt alike a colourful country scene. Despite the two domains have different rhythmic patterns, Josefowicz executed the big jump on positions with ease and sustained a flowing impression in her playing. The music became more nervous and less optimistic in the second half of the first movement.

A melancholy or even bizarre start to the second movement by the solo violin. The music became rather abstract with the irregular music patterns and fragmented parts. Sentiments dominated the third movement and longer line in a phrase than previously. The main theme by a trumpet and two flutes made a tragic calling, but not knowing where the music was heading into than thematic repetition.

The last movement was more certain started with a syncopated gallop. A busy part for the solo violin while the bassoons provided the rhythmic backbone. Josefowicz sustained the energy in her playing with clarity, maintained the beauty in tone colour and allowed the music to breathe. The rhythmic patterns are ever changing and include some reference to Bach. Later even a reminder to the Rite of Spring as the music went tribal and exuberantly driven towards the end.

I was unsure at first whether this performance of Rachmaninov's second symphony would be as memorable as the one in the previous edition of Hong Kong Arts Festival by the Oslo Philharmonic. The climaxes is alike an endless musical orgasm from the start til the end. Though the beginning of the first movement is supposedly more gloomy and mysterious than the rest. Yet the philharmonic orchestra played with a warmer tone than the chilling landscape in mind. Romanticism already culminated in full swing even at the early climax. Lush strings' playing sustained the contrast in the ebbs and flows of emotions, but not as flowing as desired. The stormy transition also lacked the tension and bleakness. Only at reaching another big climax the sheer intensity gained weight. The return to the romantic theme was sweet and passionately driven, also more clarity among the strings. Interestingly the brass sounded rather like a military band at the closing of the movement.

Tempo for the descending start to the second movement was on the swift side and kept the momentum forward. Though more majestic and steady in its emotional response. The tempestuous gallop in turn was thundering throughout but not overtly wildly driven.

It took the orchestra some time to calm down than being restless in the sweet and tender opening of the third movement. Andrew Simon's clarinet solo was spellbinding and paced very well in the long line of phrase. The dialogue between oboes and cor anglais along rest of the orchestra carried a lot of energy in gearing towards another climatic peak. Calmness returned at the end yet the strings' playing not as silky and flowing as expected. Sentiments were felt again from the ebbs and flows of emotions.

An energetic start to the festive introduction of the last movement, but clarity and togetherness were not that effective among the strings. The outpour of romantic lushness was given in full and gloriously rendered. The transition from the nervous passage back to the brilliant opening theme was intense and filled with sheer excitement. The crescendo built into a majestic and triumphant lush conclusion. It certainly came close to the breathtaking impression I had previously.