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 - Oslo Philharmonic and Vasily Petrenko, 2017 Hong Kong Arts Festival

14 March 2017:
Peer Gynt Suite No 1 (Grieg)
Cello Concerto No 1 (Shostakovich)
Symphony No 2 (Rachmaninov)

15 March 2017:
Excerpts from 100 Folk Tunes from Hardanger (Tveitt)
Cello Concerto (Elgar)
Symphony No 2 (Sibelius)

Oslo Philharmonic
Truls Mørk (Cello)

Vasily Petrenko (Conductor)

A fine selection of symphonic and concerto works from the late romantic period up to the post war period were given by the leading Norwegian orchestra. Though the weakest moment happened at the start in the iconic Peer Gynt Suite by Grieg. Whether due to Petrenko being impatient with the tempo or the orchestra was sight reading the score, woodwinds' dialogues depicting the scene of rising sun in the well known morning mood were messy at entries. Their playing lacked a flowing momentum with much hesitation and uncertainty in direction. Strings' sorrow theme on lamenting the death of Aase were more secured and flowing. It achieved a spellbinding pianissimo, but one could sense that Petrenko rather preferred to move things forward than indulging broadly. Strings were also able to produce the lightness and dynamic contrast in the tipsy dance like third movement. Though the wild gallop at the hall of the mountain king was somehow underwhelming that lacked the energy by its indifferent playing.

Shostakovich's first cello concerto in turn marked a contrast from the optimistic sunny outlook by an enigmatic impression. It began with the solo cello playing at the end of fingerboard, and felt like ironic and restless. Solo horn's entry though was late and not secure with tuning. Screaming winds and heavily scored solo cello part continued until it came to an abrupt end. A sorrow start to the second movement by the solo cello again and this time inward looking yet tragic. Violas and clarinet played a gloomy and lifeless Russian folk tune, later increasingly eerie and grotesque as the music became more dissonant from the celesta and strings. Emotional anguish was realised by the solo cello with double stopping in wide interval jumps and irregular rhythmic patterns. It made a dramatic contrast to the lament expressed at the meditative start of the third movement. The orchestral response was sarcastic but the tone quality of the horns did not match the rest. A stormy coda with wild cries and hurried gallops from the winds and strings. For encore, Truls Mørk played a movement from Bach's cello suite that carried a sense of solitude.

Emotional outpour and the unending search for positivism in Rachmaninov's second symphony finally gave assurance and hope, which departed from the sadness that dominated the first half. Despite a bleak and dark beginning, emotions gradually culminated and eventually some glimpse of positivism. Beautiful strings playing at the dance like section, subtle and seamless in the romantic driven dialogue between parts. Ebbs and flows of movement produced waves of emotional charge, though constantly negotiated between tragic and optimism. Brass made devastating cries that heightened the tension and conjured a rather tempestuous scene. In turn, strings responded with a sweet tune at the unison lyric passage before plunging back into the intense conflict. Momentum sustained as the playing descended into the lower range with an explosive ending to the first movement. Romantically rich tune began the second movement with a fiery gallop, which the strings' attacks were dramatic and swift. The heroic ride developed from a fast and passionate drive into a full scale of wildness. Horns' tone quality improved at forte with a sheer dramatic impression.

Calmness returned at the third movement with a sublime and tender clarinet solo. Strings responded to Petrenko's indications on dynamic difference, and again created waves of emotions to build climatic points one after another without any lingering. The dialogue between solo clarinet and violas had a wonderful sense in phrasing the lines. Ethereal sweetness rounded off the third movement in a sublime heavenward climax. Sheer brilliancy during the triumphant and carnival like start to the last movement, which the orchestral playing flowed with strong direction. It was answered by a sweet and expressive passage before a stormy transition returned. The contrast was marked by the dynamic change from the softest dynamic into another muscular climatic point. A resounding finale as the match towards the coda coupled with fanfare to give an ultra romantic send off. It was definitely a very memorable and brilliant deliverance from Petrenko and the Oslo Philharmonic.

In terms of produced tone quality and technical security, the second evening had the edge as the orchestra felt more at home with the hall acoustics. Tveitt's adaptations of folk tunes showed a variety of orchestral effects and moods even short in durations. The gallop built on a witty folk tune until it reached an explosive end in Friar-foter. A sorrow theme was played on the strings which began the next movement titled 'Du' with a haunting impression, but softened up by the winds playing a sweet tune. Percussive effects was focused in the following Langeleik tune with pizzicato and col legno on strings. Instead the brass played a deformed tune at a muscular tutti section near the end for a sarcastic portrayal of a drunken wedding party. The last movement, titled 'Hardanger ale', was majesty in style and had some influence of the blue music. A tipsy theme on the brass developed into a glorious fanfare, joined by the whole battery of percussions, for a colourful and festive finale.

For me, Elgar's cello concerto is a difficult piece to understand compare to his other works. Whether because it dwells on raw emotions in full tragical sense, or the absence of a noble and sentimental theme, one never know how to embrace the enigmatic outlook. Truls Mørk employed a lot of vibrato in his playing at the sorrow start, which accommodated by the lower strings and winds at a considering pianissimo. Though the climb to the end of fingerboard was not entirely smooth, Mørk probably preferred a more relaxing tempo whereas Petrenko tried to push the orchestra's playing forward. Interestingly tuning was not too good at first position even with a lesser reach for the fingers. Strings were more able to shape and dramatise the music from the moody part into a charging tremolo. A romantic and emotional start to the middle movement, which was tender and meditative throughout. Orchestra remained sensitive to dynamic balance and never overwhelm the soloist. The solo cello took the lead again in the third movement with an emotional outpour yet tragic by style. Notes heavy on the solo part compare to the flickering texture in the orchestral parts, which rhythmically more energetic in driving the momentum forward. Towards coda, it again went into a negotiation between mixed feelings with melancholy strings one hand and sorrowful solo cello the other. The unending gallop at soft dynamic rather bewildering by its infinite direction and left an open end impression where it was heading to.

The ice cold vast landscape in Sibelius's second symphony was the answer, but Petrenko also injected much thoughts and insight in his conducting to aim for a dramatic rendition with sonic impact. Strings and winds began the dance like opening in a rich bodied tone and passionate playing to draw out the emotions in full. Tempo was on the swift side made a strong sense of direction to sustain the energy and momentum. Blazing brass fanfares that muscular in sound with urgency to drive the music further forward. It made a fiery impression and injected more warmth to the tone colour. A moment of tranquillity returned at the beginning of the second movement when the bassoon played a noble folk tune with pizzicato on the lower strings. Though the peace was broken again by the explosive and emotional strings' parts against the devastating tragical calls from the winds. The image was increasingly bleak and violent til the end, while brass made a strong lead in the midst of the ebbs and flows of emotions. Despite the reappearance of the folk tune, it did not have the meditative stillness but tempestuous instead.

The storm continued into the third movement that reinforced dramatically by the brass again. There was a brief moment of lush sunny passage from the woodwinds but yet quickly restated by violence, which was rather sturm und drang by composition style. The last movement was sentimental and expressive as the strings built up a lush and majestic triumphant theme. It reached a solemn and heavenward climax but the negotiation did not stop. A variations on the theme followed until reaching an emotional outpour of an expressive theme. Lower strings in turn played a mournful chromatic march and developed into a thick textured furore. Even so, the coda was a victory over darkness after a long crescendo and blazing brass for a resounding finale. As a whole the performance managed to paint the picture vividly and one could felt the dramatic surroundings of nordic countryside.