Review - Orchestre de Paris, Philharmonie de Paris, 27 September 2018 & 4 October 2018

27 September 2018

The Coriolan Overture (Beethoven)
Violin Concerto No. 2 (Widmann)
Symphony No. 6 (Beethoven)

Carolin Widmann (violin)
Daniel Harding (conductor)

4 October 2018

Overture to 'Beatrice and Benedict' (Berlioz)
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Prokofiev)
Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)

Igor Levit (piano)
Thomas Hengelbrock (conductor)

I never learn from the past and still attended the concert under jet lag. A strong coffee would have been useful to stay awake than dosing off. Nevertheless, the first concert experience at Paris Philharmonie was not that satisfying and there were some noticeable hiccups. The orchestra gave an explosive start in Beethoven's Coriolan overture. It carried the intensity to drive the tension in full until descend to a quiet end.

Widman's second violin concerto began with a minimalist gesture by using 'cor legno', which used the back of the bow hitting the strings. Short random notes made further abstract impression and then disrupted by a violent crescendo from the lower strings.

Harmonics were employed to start the second movement mysteriously in a surreal timeless landscape. A more lyrical line for the violin to indulge on lush romantic themes but the orchestral accompaniment was atonal on the other hand. It carried more emotional towards the end of the movement in a bright and raw tone.

An energetic charge kicked off the last movement with a busy part for the solo violin. It quoted the beginning of the concerto briefly before bursting in hurry again. The nervousness and violence built towards a bizarre and explosive coda like a boiling kettle.

In the Beethoven's sixth symphony, Daniel Harding's big gesture conducting style seems to be in opposite of the orchestra's playing being elegant and fluid. He made noticeable groans that one felt rather disturbing for the audio appreciation. The arpeggios were kept light and displayed the colourful scoring effectively of a cheerful pastoral scene in the first movement. The second began tenderly with the strings playing with mute on. It created a raindrop impression while keeping the music flowing softly. The wind solos were sweet in tone and able to show the dynamic contrast. Though the dialogue between the flute and clarinet went rather wrong that it took some bars to rectify and get back together.

The gallop before the storm was better coordinated that sustained the rhythmic forwardness. It reached sheer intensity at the stormy passage which was dramatically rendered and again displayed the contrast in colours and dynamics. A rather swift tempo was adopted for the aftermath fifth movement, which Harding probably preferred as a light quick dance. It certainly kept the momentum flowing and very bright colour from the brass. The coda was regal and stately concluded.

Hengelbrock's conducting was different from Harding by being less expressive and controlling. Yet there was some uncertain moments in Berlioz's overture that he let the orchestra to lead the direction. The playing at first lacked the swing of a dance but the strings played the lyrical theme beautifully. Bright tone during the gallop and the tutti playing gained more forward momentum. It finished energetically with sheer excitements.

Structurally Prokofiev's second piano concerto was more upheaval and stormy than the third piano concerto. A dreamy start to the first movement by the solo piano negotiating between ebbs and flows of subtle emotions. The virtuosic passage was a flamboyant dance attempted to break the mysterious atmosphere before retreating again. The quietness created a blurry coastal scene afar that echoed the calm beginning. It was disrupted by the orchestra thundering entry. In contrast to the tender touch before, Levit added more weight and intensity to build up the crescendo throughout the symphonic like solo passage.

The second movement was more straightforward for the audio appreciation with the music galloping in haste and rhythmically energetic. Like many other works by Prokofiev, the dotted rhythm dance gave a more muscular and weighty impression to the third movement. It was like a drunken Russian dance that swung bizarrely to a violent climax, yet not grotesque or sarcastic. The coda was surreal and dreamy again with soft chords on the solo piano. Levit sustained the curiosity with delicate touch and clarity in his playing.

A dramatic beginning to the last movement alike a beast storming in and showing emotions in full. It was answered by a quiet passage that recalling an old Russian folk tune in tenderness, which Levit kept the legato sustained for a long line. Though the violent presto did not leave much room to indulge on emotions, instead sheer wildness and madness marked the conclusion.

The hall acoustic enhanced the textural clarity and dynamic contrast in one of the all time favourites, Beethoven's seventh symphony. A subtle opening followed by a majestic and robust gallop to the first movement. Dramatically it was exciting and rhythmically energetic. Hengelbrock employed a rather swift tempo for the second movement and shaped the music like a dance. Rhythmically active and carried less musical sentiments. The winds' solo lines flowed into one another seamlessly and effective in dynamic contrast.

Energetic gallop opened the third movement that sustained the forward momentum and kept the music flowing. Even at quick tempo, the dynamic difference was observed and not losing the activeness in sound. The brass played the fanfare in bright tone and triumphantly. It continued into the flamboyant dance of the fourth movement with no gap. Tempo was on the swift side that carried a lot of energy into the gallop. It built up to an explosive climax at the conclusion and the strings enjoyed the dialogue among parts, which without surprise earned an enthusiastic reception from the audience.

(Photo credit: Orchestre de Paris)

Review - Vladimir Ashkenazy, Behzod Abduraimov, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, 2 July 2016

Piano Concerto No. 3 (Prokofiev)
Encore: Nocturne in d minor (Tchaikovsky)
Symphony No. 1 (Elgar)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Behzod Abduraimov (Pianist)
Vladimir Ashkenazy (Conductor)

The programmed works in this last concert of current season reminded me the performing experience with the university symphony orchestra few years ago. I remembered the Prokofiev being technically demanding for the pianist, also a clever exchange between wit, sarcasm and the occasional romanticism outpour.  The Elgar had a noble and beautiful theme, but textually thick and time signatures changed a lot particularly in first movement. The conductor is supposedly to know how to shape the music and make it interesting for the ears to avoid an intellectual rendition. I am not sure if this was the case with Ashkenazy directing from the podium. One admire and respect him as an acclaimed pianist, also his good personality to fellow musicians, but his conducting skills were not inspiring in all three performances I had encountered so far.

The clarinet solo played beautiful to begin the piano concerto, but mechanical conducting resulted in vertical reading of the score. The orchestral playing lacked interrelation and legato that being square in shape without direction. Thankfully, Abduraimov's playing was enchanting in the dissonant and mysterious bell like passage of the second theme. The eccentric and sarcastic impressions were well captured towards the crescendo climax. Though the melancholy gavotte in the beginning of second movement again lacked shape and felt more like a slow march than dance. The orchestral playing fell short from creating a structure in the ironic second variation and lacked differentiation in dynamics. Abduraimov again turned the disappointment away and delivered spellbinding playing in the haunting fourth variation. Tempo was well paced and produced a dreamlike atmosphere. He managed the contrast in dynamics, and responded to the mood change at the dramatic return of the violent fifth variation.

Tempo in the beginning of third movement was a bit steady that would need more anticipation. The coordination in the lyric passage between orchestra and soloist were accurate and together but slightly restrain emotionally. Though by the climatic point the orchestra began to drag the tempo too much. Ashkenazy's conducting did not indicate the phrasing by only showing the beat and pointing the baton upward, which was confusing for the orchestra to follow. The coda was a showcase for Abduraimov brilliant technique, but the conductor began the reinstatement of the main theme too slow and luckily the orchestra was quick enough to pick up right tempo.

Here the noble and majesty opening theme of Elgar first symphony felt like a very slow walk in tempo, and the double basses being too prominent in volume that failed to produce the tranquillo impression. Soon at the violent passage one could sense the orchestra playing was on its own will than following the conductor. Gradually the momentum and directions lost in the tricky time signature changing sections. Sections failed to connect and lacked a clear structure. Tempo was a bit broad for muscular stormy theme despite confident brass playing and some attempt to phrase the music. The conclusion slightly improved with more dynamic contrast and lighter body of sound.

Second movement was more dramatic with the urgency to capture the violent and disturbed atmosphere. A promising start of the strings only third movement that the music flowed but eventually lost the focus. The adapted tempo again dragged and the lyrical themes need more connection than a vertical reading. The enigmatic outlook was compensated by beautiful playing from the strings in tone quality and control. The lento opening of the fourth movement was too slow that became an examination of chord progression without direction. Momentum only picked up again at double time but again lacked dynamic contrast. Brass playing was a bit polite and needed the bite to drive the music forward. Tempos at the return of the noble theme and triumphant conclusion would need more urgency than merely a muscular sound. It did not help when Ashkenazy seems following the orchestra, and struggled with his conducting gestures instead of indicating ahead. Not a resounding finale to mark the season end.

Review - 2016 Hong Kong Arts Festival - Shostakovich and Prokofiev, Teatro Regio di Torino, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, 4 March 2016

Symphony No 9 (Shostakovich)
Alexander Nevsky (Prokofiev)
Encores:
'Va. pensiero' from Nabucco (Verdi)
Overture from Guillaume Tell (Rossini)

Orchestra & Chorus of Teatro Regio Torino
Daniela Barcellona (Mezzosoprano solo)
Gianandrea Noseda (Conductor)

Pairing two Russian works from before and after the Second World War make an interesting contrast. Alexander Nevsky is a bold statement of patriotism and dense in texture, whereas Shostakovich's ninth symphony being enigmatic and nothing definite. These works neither reflect the trademarks of the composers' compositional styles. Prokofiev turns into formalist and writing masculine angular music based on religious chants, in contrast, Shostakovich bears all the late Prokofiev style for being sarcastic, violent and ironic. Both works also bear a sense of being impersonal and not to stir up the inner emotion too much, but an objective reflection of the time. It is logically then to round off the concert with the two well know Italian pieces pouring out the long awaited sentiment and brilliant triumphal end as encores.

On the podium, Noseda always wanted to push the momentum but his conducting not always accurate with indications. The first movement of the ninth symphony emphasised on robust rhythm bites but with the orchestra rushing through it, the playing lacked structure and some untidy corners among the strings as results. Woodwinds were better in terms of tone quality and responsiveness as a section. They hold everything together even when Noseda was late to indicate entries and more natural in music phrasing, especially for the climatic end of the brutal and dark third movement. A battery of percussion later joined the chorus for Alexander Nevsky. The choir was slightly imbalance with the male parts more able to project the sound of wall than the ladies. Intonation was fine but the diction did not convince me, which I heard the vowels more than identifying each word. Daniela Barcellona had the right timbre for the mournful aria describing the field of the dead, though from where I sat at one side of the orchestra, she was underwhelming in vocal volume and difficult to understand her diction. The Guillaume Tell overture would have been brilliant if the flautist had rehearsed the tricky solo part beforehand than a quick sight reading on site.