Review - 2016 Munich Opera Festival, La Juive (Halévy), Bayerische Staatsoper, Webcast

Rachel - Aleksandra Kurzak
Éléazar - Roberto Alagna
Prince Léopold - John Osborn
Princess Eudoxie - Vera-Lotte Böcker
Cardinal Brogni - Ain Anger
Ruggiero - Johannes Kammler
Albert - Tareq Nazmi

Choir and Orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera
Bertrand de Billy (Conductor)
Calixto Bieito (Director)

Bieito's staging of 'The Jewess', arguably Halévy most successful opera at his time, focuses on group/cult intolerance than merely a religious conflict. The employment of a big wall, alike the Israeli West Bank barrier, as the prominent stage set could be controversial by its intention and might perceive not sympathetic to the political reasoning. Though the wall is not a random thought but a reference of the palace wall mentioned by Eudoxie in act three, when she anxiously discovering the secret affection between Rachel and Léopold. It is also the object serves as a metaphorical representation of the western wall in Jerusalem, but without any explicit religious symbolism at the Passover scene. The physical appearance of concrete planks marks architectural brutalism that neither inviting and chilling as the prison cell in act four. When the biblical tale of Christ throwing traders from the temple is being mentioned, the crowd beat Éléazar with holly in act one, and later in act three humiliate Rachel by throwing at her torn pages of the bible. The crowd homogenous appearance in dark coloured wearings and are blindfolded make them blind followers of order with hatred against outsiders. Ongoing hostility, religious extremism and tragic consequences lead to further misunderstanding, which indirectly reflect the current difficult situation of the middle east. Thus, the wall indirectly stands as a symbol to mark violence and conflicts as its witness.

I do not think Bieito is particularly after judgmental debate, but questions the dilemma of whose are the oppressors/prosecutors and their victims. First the general public repeatedly humiliates Éléazar with accusations and even beating him, he later revenge not to reveal the true identity of Rachel, until Brogni mistakenly has his actual daughter burnt to death in the cage. Both men experience their loss but Brogni seems more sympathetic and attempt for reconciliation than Éléazar. The cardinal told the crowd to stop mocking the jew and touchingly washes his feet to beg revealing the truth. Though his position also makes himself to condemn and excommunicate Léopold, whip Rachel with a rope and execute her. One would sympathise with Éléazar of his treatment by the crowd, but not his accusation of Léopold, making profit from selling jewellery to Eudoxie, and refuses to make peace with the Brogni. The implicit moral message here is probably that taking the advantage of past sufferings and general sympathy on racial identity, but unwilling to do good nor attempt to repair the damage, do not invite future reconciliation nor forgiveness.

Rachel is the ultimate victim but not a straight forward portrayal with strangeness. She cannot stand the singing of Te Deum at the beginning as if an annoying voice troubles her mind. While the crowd humiliates Éléazar, she crawled around the stage and mop the ground for whatever reason before facing the wall. I am not sure whether she is probably too frighten to halt the violence, or this is all a nightmare and feels being trap within the situation. Though in act two she displays more inner emotions and humanity by trying to reconcile Léopold and Éléazar. The video projection image of her being push to the ground at the opening of act three foretells her tragic end. Her rage at Eudoxie and reveals the affection with Léopold have turned against her innocence. The finale is highly dramatic and moving to see her hairs being cut before burnt in the cage, alike a lamb being slaughtered as the video projection demonstrates.

As a whole, message of the moment interest Bieito to display in full, especially for intellectual stimulation and interest, but I am not sure whether it has always produced a coherent tale and some unanswered corners. The blindfolded crowd, as fervent religious cult, force children in white to perform baptism. Albert shows signs of hesitation and his head is pushed into a water bucket by a spectator. One understand an adult is more unwilling to convert than a child with no choice but to obey, though how that relate a person from a different faith background suppress by the dominant power is unclear. Brogni as religious leader can tell the crowd to stop the attacks on Éléazar, but here seems far from showing the superior authority he holds and assuming everyone have an underlying social rule. His relation with Rachel is also awkward that being sympathetic and protective in act one, but later whips her when she rages at Eudoxie of her jewellery to Léopold. Both Eudoxie and Éléazar have blood on their hands after putting inside the wall holes, but I cannot tell whether metaphorically showing they indirectly trigger the execution of Rachel or not.

When Eudoxie bags Rachel at the prison scene to save Léopold but both love and hate each other in the same time, Aleksandra Kurzak sings with a wonderful sense of phrasing, breath control, projection and sits comfortable with the tessitura. She is emotional and passionate at Rachel's confrontation of Léopold at the Passover scene up to their love vow. A dramatic characterisation of her being a vulnerable woman desperately wants to receive the trust and faith of her affection from the disguised prince. Though her top notes are not always secure with intonation and some tuning issues during the trio pleading for reconciliation. Brilliant singing from Vera-Lotte Böcker with her effortless coloratura and clear diction. Ain Anger occasionally lacks the vocal colour of a bass with a more baritone like timbre. Roberto Alagna's timbre is rather unique and not much of warmth in tone. His aria on recalling Rachel's past and negotiating with his conscience is not always secure. He struggles to sustain the line and sounds strain as the vocal range goes up. The vocalisation seems lost and hear the words being said more than sung. John Osborn's singing is rather underwhelming in projection even on the microphones and probably the weakest among all the principals. Wonderful choral singing that made a big impact with the sheer body of sound. As always Bertrand de Billy is able to draw a dramatic rendition from the orchestral playing and displays the music brilliancy at its fullness. 

Review - The Choir of King’s College (Cambridge), Stephen Cleobury, Louise Kwong, Hugo Herman-Wilson, Grand Hall of Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre (The University of Hong Kong), 27 July 2016

Laudibus in sanctions (Byrd)
Loquebantur variis linguis (Tallis)
Hymn to St Cecilia (Britten)
Ein Deutsches Requiem, version with piano four hands accompaniment (Brahms)

The Choir of King’s College (Cambridge)
Louise Kwong (Soprano solo)

Hugo Herman-Wilson (Baritone solo)

Stephen Cleobury (Conductor)

King's revisit of Hong Kong this time gave a shockingly disappointing performance and did not live up to its reputation. Although one should not dampen the spirit and confidence of young aspiring choristers with strong criticism, any excuse could not hide the fact that the choir has some fundamental problems in singing technique, blending, ensembleship and even the musical leadership. The programme of the first half struck a right balance with the Brahms Requiem later. It began with Byrd's outward jubilant god praising psalm 150, followed by Tallis vesperal response for Pentecost to celebrate the descent of holy spirit upon the apostles, then Britten's intimate and inward praying of St Cecilia, patron saint of music, before a personal dealing of grief and death in the non liturgical requiem.

Basses delivered confident singing with support in the Byrd and voices blended well, but trebles were feeble and lacked presence. Poor intonation throughout and sluggish in tempo. The upper voice parts sung in variety of pitches and all over the place. Generally failed to craft the structure of the piece neither any sense of sectional dialogue. The beginning of the Tallis was chaotic and coordination problems happened among choir. There was no direction in the singing and structurally shapeless. It was alike showering with notes but no communication among parts. Cleobury's conducting did not indicate phrasing but rhythmic counting only. Trebles remained very breathy in their timbre and underwhelming in vocal projection. The men's chanting had the right flow with words and more unified in diction.

Shaky start with pitch problems in the first few notes of the Britten and vowels were not homogeneous. A rather vertical reading of the score and strangely, alike the trebles, the tenors and altos sounded thin and lacked presence in projection. Diction in the second section was poor and trebles struggled with intonation. Again the singing lacked direction and rushing through the text without singing the full value of notes. It neither manage to build up the momentum and crescendo for the climax. The treble solo did not possess a radiant tone and timid in projection. Towards the end tempo gradually became sluggish again, and part solos failed to deliver some quality individual singing and technically insecure.

The piano solo opening of the requiem would probably need more urgency than being steady. The choir entry did not deliver the body of sound and trebles remained timid in their singing. Although arguably a collegiate choir differed from large choral groups with a leaner and lighter sound texture, vocal projection was problematic here that far from filling the hall. Tenors' timbre were noticeably not complimenting each other and did not blend with rest of the choir. Intonation improved in the second movement 'Denn alles Fleisch ist wie Gras' and the choir found itsfeet here. Though the body of sound still failed to make an impact and individual voices sticking out. Their diction in German was presentable but slightly wet for my taste. Energy and direction did not always sustain in the fugue, and far from building the exuberant climatic calling for eternal joy over sorrow.

Beautiful singing from the baritone solo and gave a poetic reading of the third movement 'Herr, lehre doch mich', but tenors simply could not blend together in their singing. Intonation towards the end of the movement gradually worsened as the vocal range went up. Everything went downhill from the fourth movement onward. The better known fourth movement 'Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen' sounded very dull here and also lazy in diction, which affected the tuning. The score reading was vertical again and the choir not singing through the line. Cleobury might have assumed the music would speak for itself, but that would require him to signal the phrasing than being economical and vague in his conducting.

Despite one would prefer a lyric soprano than dramatic one, Louise Kwong gave the best live account of the fifth movement 'Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit' I had encountered in live so far. The part tessitura was vocally demanding for the soloist to sing rather high with only a short build up from mid range. She was secured with intonation and delivered the desired projection, though slightly forceful to nail the top notes and rather muddy in diction. The choir also began to sound tired and sometimes fraction behind the piano playing, which later turned into one chasing the another. The focus and energy faded as the sixth movement went on. The judgement day passage was not dramatically realised by the singing and trebles were flat at the cry of death. The fugue conclusion was chaotic with poor intonation and choppy singing. Tenors were not confident in their entry and inaccurate with notes. The choir again failed to blend together nor manage to maintain the momentum.

One suspect the choir did not prepare well enough to familiarise itself with the music in the end. Diction was completely out of the window at the supposed emotional last movement 'Selig sind die Toten', and neither the singing was radiant nor memorable. Trebles struggled with intonation throughout and as a whole it failed to make any impression. It did not work when the vocal colour remained bright only throughout, but lacked differentiation and musical shape. Words failed me to conclude how unconvincing this performance went, and the tickets were overpriced judging by the poor artistic quality being given, except the two soloists redeemed it from further disaster.

Review - The Choir of Trinity College (Cambridge), Stephen Layton, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall (11 July 2016) / Hong Kong City Hall (12 July 2016)

11 July 2016

Bogoróditse Djévo (Pärt)

O Lord, make thy servant (Byrd)

Salvator mundi (Tallis)

Remember not, Lord, our offences (Purcell)

O sacrum convivium (Stucky)

The Heavens' Flock (Ešenvalds)

Evening Hymn (Rautavaara)

Ekteniya of the Litany (Rautavaara)

The Wings of the Wing (Park)

Give unto the Lord (Elgar)

Hymn of Ancient Lands (Twist)

Mass (Martin)

Te Deum 'Collegium Regale' (Howells)

Encore: It don’t mean a thing (if it ain’t got that swing) (Ellington arr. Parry)

12 July 2016
Sumer is icumen in (Anon)
Now is the month of Maying (Morley)
The silver swan (Gibbons)
Pastime with good company (Henry VIII arr. Shaw)
Hark all ye lovely saints (Weelkes)
Draw on, sweet night (Wilbye)
Irish folk tune from County Derry (arr. Grainger)
Australian up country song (arr. Grainger)
What shall we do with the drunken sailor (Traditional arr. Rathbone)
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho (Spiritual arr. Rathbone)
Way over in Beulah-lan’ (Spiritual arr. Jennings)
Ain’t that a kick in the head? (Heusen arr. Park)
Long ago (and far away) (Kern arr. Naylor)
Cheek to cheek (Berlin arr. Naylor)
Once upon a dream (Shaw)
Teddy bears’ picnic (Bratton arr. Roberts)
Michelle (Lennon and McCartney arr. Gritton)
Silence is golden (Crewe & Gaudio arr. Park)
It don’t mean a thing (if it ain’t got that swing) (Ellington arr. Parry)
My funny valentine (Rogers arr. Park)
All the things you are (Kern arr. Rice)
The carnival is over (Springfield arr. Bussey)
Spiderman (Harris arr. Friedman)

The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge

Stephen Layton (Conductor)

The city finally had one of the world's finest choirs to grace the stage with two distinctive programmes on consecutive evenings. The Trinity choir lived up to the reputation and made a bold start by singing from memory in the first performance, considering all these challenging repertoire in different languages and without conductor during the first four pieces. Despite a rather vertical reading of Bogoróditse Djévo and needed to sustain the line longer, intonation and vowels uniformity were impeccable throughout rest of the performance. Even at the quietest moment in Howells Te Deum, one could hear every word clearly and the music rang throughout the hall. My friend accurately commented it was also a display of ensembleship of strong responsiveness to phrasing, vocalisation and tone quality. Clarity in diction and rhythmic precision were demonstrated brilliantly in Stucky's O scarum convivium and Park's The Wings of the Wind.

The choir also did justice to Frank Martin's Mass that being sung accurately and beautifully phrased. The music itself was dramatic, sometimes surreal and even enigmatic to reflect the mood of the text. Gloria was more inward looking and not always straight forward in music language, even so, the interpretation was convincing and attracted by the sound landscape. Credo was most confidently sung, focused and sustained. It was thrilling to experience the fanfare like passage of 'Et resurrexit', and the climatic build up towards the end that at forte brought out the best of the voice. A strong sense of direction and momentum in the repetitive patterned of 'hosanna in excelsis' for the ultimate fortissimo round of in Benedictus. Agnus Dei was more dreamy alike gentle waves hitting a boat, and being the only movement with an addition of four soloists. Sopranos' intonation were not that secure in the Kyrie and only rectified as the body of sound gradually built up.

I could not agree more when Stephen Layton commented the hall acoustic being dry, judging from where I sat in the balcony. Works by Rautavaara and Ešenvalds would need a more vibrating space with few seconds of echo to allow singers sustain the line longer, also to create a richer sound. Local cathedral churches would probably be a better venue and also atmospheric. The cultural centre pipe organ sounded more convincing in Howells Te Deum than Elgar's Give unto the Lord, whether to do with the stops registration or the music colour more suited to that instrument than the other. The latter also needed a bigger impact in vocal projection and energy in voice so to convey the emotion and drama of the text. Twist's Hymn of Ancient Lands could be a spellbinding piece if the alto soloist was more secured in her singing, who seems not in the best vocal condition, and the choral singing needed a bit more urgency for direction.

Rarely would I regard a concert being highly 'entertaining' but the second performance was definitely one of the most enjoyable choral experience. Arrangements of madrigals, blues, jazz and pops marked a light affair in contrast to the intellectual evening before, but still sophisticated and intelligently executed. The city hall concert hall acoustics was also more ideal and allowed the choir with space flexibility to indulge the singing a bit more. English madrigals up to the early 17th century showcased how technically superb the choir could be. 'Sumer is icumen in' made a bold opening to display richness of the voice, followed by the whispering like 'Now is the month of Maying' with dynamic contrast, crystal clear diction and wonderful sense of phrasing. The choir switched to an interesting accent to imitate the way of saying old English in 'Pastime with good company' effectively. Though 'Draw on, sweet night' was slightly steady in tempo as a matter of taste and did not always produce the intimate atmosphere. I was moved by Percy Grainger's arrangement of Londonderry air, one of my favourite tunes, and it was sung beautifully. A display of group communication and ensembleship again in 'Hark all ye lovely saints' and 'What shall we do with the drunken sailor', which produced the dynamic differentiation and wonderfully conveyed the drama of the text.

Nothing could hold back the emotion and vocal impact in 'Joshua fought the battle of Jericho' and 'Way over in Beulah-lah'. The music did swung in the big band music like 'Ain't that a kick in the head?' and danced excitedly in 'Cheek to Cheek'. The lush scoring 'Long ago and far away' and 'Silence is golden' were enchanting, but not quite so in 'Once upon a dream' and 'Michelle', which the music quality and arrangements seems not as convincing like the rest. The humorous named 'Teddy bears' picnic' and 'Spiderman' put smiles on the face by the interesting content and the singing able to produce the visual impression. The swing music in 'It don't mean a thing' was more effectively demonstrated as encore on the first night but slightly rigid in the second. 'My funny valentine' showcased solos from members of the choir but they could have indulged the music more for a better expression. The mood of the text in 'All the things you are' were wonderfully captured, and highly responsive to the textual contrast from long vocal lines to energetic rhythmical pulse. 'The carnival is over' reminded a sweet nostalgic favourite and the soloist had all the right timbre and accent. To see Stephen Layton dancing along the music while conducting on the podium, I am convinced that a future album should be made to remind us what a fantastic choral experience the past two evenings had been. 

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 - Bach and beyond, Case Scaglione, Caroline Goulding, Colleen Lee, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, 25 June 2016

Poème symphonique (Ligeti)
Concerto No. 5 in f minor, BWV 1056 (Bach)
Fratre (Pärt)
Chaconne in g minor (Purcell)
Violin Concerto (Ligeti)
Ricercar from Music Offering (Bach, arr. Webern)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Colleen Lee (Pianist)

Caroline Goulding (Violinist)

Case Scaglione (Conductor)

My recent concert going experience had been dominated by late romantic repertoire, and this interesting programme made a welcoming change, particularly my first encounter of Ligeti's Violin Concerto. Before the actual concert, one hundred metronomes were assembled at the foyer to perform Poème symphonique by Ligeti. The ticking sound was the focus but spectators' reactions added another layer of audio and visual experience. Inevitably everyone performed the digital ritual with their smartphones to take photos or make video recording of the spectacle. Then all eyes and ears eagerly awaited which metronome would last the longest. The speculation became like a sporting competition with yelling and cheering when the result was revealed. Probably not the composer would have in mind, but the atmosphere and provoked reaction gave the mechanical performance a human touch and fascination.

I felt the concert programme itself was not an emphasis on comparing tonal and atonal music, but demonstrating how contemporary progressiveness took one step more on Baroque format to extend the sound boundary. Perhaps that was why the performing style of Bach and Purcell in this concert did not adopt the historically informed practice, which would have focused more on strong articulation, the dancing rhythmic motion and ornamentation. Instead Scaglione relax and precise conducting style generated a silky and transparent texture from the ensemble playing. Steady in tempo but not broad neither sluggish and still in shape. Colleen Lee produced exquisite playing in the more sedate second movement of Bach's fifth keyboard concerto with the right touch and a sense of naturalism. Though the hall acoustics felt slightly too big for such intimate chamber piece even from where I sat towards the front of the balcony.

In following, harmonic cleverly structured Fratre by Arvo Pärt was given a more vertical and objective reading. Not sure if the strings were on purpose to be choppy with the bowing but felt it needed more legato. The hymn like theme at the interval of a tenth would need to sing more than being rigid. As the music developed the emotion and thicker in texture, then only the ensemble began to move in direction with phrasing and contrast in dynamics with more bow hairs on strings. Same happened in the Purcell that the strings' playing were rather sluggish even the conductor indicated the phrasing, despite responsive to the dynamic contrast. The dotted rhythmic was not too exaggeratedly articulate to maintain the smooth and silky impression.

It was not difficult to detect a lot of efforts and coordinations had been inputted to prepare this superlative execution of Ligeti's violin concerto. The expanded orchestra with a large percussion section, curious instruments including alto flute and ocarina, and solo strings tuned to different pitches made an audio feast for the unique sound effects and music colour, as well as visual. More importantly, the orchestra finally had the road map in mind, knowing the corners and delivered confident playing. Caroline Goulding gave a fearless account by pulling out special effects on the solo violin and hold nothing back, particularly in the fiery and dramatic cadenza of last movement with dissonant double stopping and gradually returned to glissando in its simplest form.

Those not necessary into the experimental landscape of Ligeti would be surprised by Webern's clever arrangement of Bach's Ricercar. The tonal colour and body of sound might be familiar but themes were connection only than a dominant feature. The augmented full orchestra was a sight but the produced sound did not reflect the size. The melodic focus is not the attraction, but cloudy timbre and lean texture instead. The randomness of motives were not totally aimless and created a curiosity of the colour. Like Ligeti, both pieces referenced a recogisable theme including folk tunes, but being intelligently presented in different forms, or even became a response in parallel to the dissonant subject. After all, I enjoyed the intellectual deception and the adventure into an unfamiliar sound world. More please in future concert seasons!

The performance of Poème symphonique

Review - Karen Gomyo, Jaap van Zweden, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, 17 June 2016

Overture from 'La Gazza Ladra' (Rossini)
Violin Concerto No. 1 (Bruch)
Solemn Night Music/ Feierliche Abendmusik (Borstlap)
Pines of Rome (Respighi)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Karen Gomyo (Violinist)
Jaap van Zweden (Conductor)

This concert started and ended with Italian festivity in fullness. The Bruch violin concerto made a sentimental contrast, but Borstlap's orchestral attempt in neoclassicism seems far from making a distinctive impression. The orchestra gave a full bodied opening in the thieving magpie overture. Symphonic in texture but not too muscular and the music still danced. The 'Rossini crescendo' were carefully paced and had many thrilling climatic moments.

Highlights of Karen Gomyo's violin playing were the exquisite tone, tenderness, elegance and smoothness in fingers position changing. Generally a steady tempo throughout which allowed double stopping to be precise and unhurried in arpeggio climbs. Though some bowing could be abrupt and not always sustaining the legato. The first and second movement fared better than the last when tiredness sank in. Tempo was then slightly sluggish but still maintained a good sense in phrasing. The lyrical passage was sweet in tone and elegantly played. Surprisingly intonation on the higher finger positions more accurate than the lower first position. The produced sound also rang more with brightness and colour differentiation. Same happened in the Bach's Chaconne during encore that being appropriate in performing style and phrasing, but not always accurate with tuning at lower positions. The orchestral accompaniment was smooth and in good coordination with the soloist. Warm and confident playing from the woodwind in the beginning of the first movement. Vibrato was not overdone on the tutti strings.

Second half of the concert musically and programme wise made an unfinished impression. John Borstlap's new work was alike deconstructing a late 19th century symphonic work without the theme or tune, except some occasional reference to themes from other composers like Elgar. Whether it was Jaap not able to draw the orchestra's attention locating the melodic line, or the piece intended to be a demonstration of inner part, I felt it was generally dull in texture and dramatically underwhelming. The conclusion sounded cheesy that in hurry to finish off with anything sweet.

Thus, the underwhelming experience prompted me to prefer the whole set of Respighi's 'Roman Triptych' being present than just Pines of Rome. It seems unnecessarily wasteful to augment the orchestra with a large brass section plus organ and piano for a mere twenty minutes rendition. Vibrant music colour and atmospheric contrast would be more interesting for the ears and music curiosity, as demonstrated by the festive and lively first movement in Pines of Rome. Orchestra winds' playing were glorious and highly spirited for an uplifting start. The mysterious and timeless atmosphere of catacomb were vividly captured by the lower strings at the beginning of second movement. One could see the flashback to a glorious past of an empire when later the trumpet gave an emotional solo passage, followed by the orchestra playing the 'roman' march with a patriotic flair before the music died away again. The colourful solo from the clarinet would be enchanting if the phrasing was more natural and smooth in the third movement. Beautiful playing from the strings at the lyrical passage, with harmonic reference to nostalgic blues but stayed romantic in melodies. The stillness in air of a clear evening was sensibly produced. The cor anglais solo could indulge more on rubato in the seductive introduction of last movement. The sheer impact of the glorious and triumphant conclusion would have been effective if Jaap took a bit more time in pacing the momentum, so to accumulate the energy and making the volume contrast towards the climatic peak. Otherwise, it was a thrilling end.

Review - Louis Lortie, Jaap van Zweden, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, 11 June 2016

Piano Concerto No. 22 (Mozart)
Symphony No. 4 (Bruckner)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Louis Lortie (Pianist)
Jaap van Zweden (Conductor)

After the performance of Philadelphia Orchestra nearly a month ago, the local philharmonic orchestra revisited the Bruckner fourth symphony but a Mozart piano concerto was programmed for the first half instead. Interestingly, the pairing confirmed the strength and weakness of Jaap van Zweden's conducting. A magnificent performance of the Bruckner that musically very strong and brilliantly played, which surpassed the Philadelphia Orchestra performance I reckon in many ways. However, the Mozart was most disappointing that Louis Lortie gradually lost the sense of structure and phrasing towards the end. Jaap's conducting was ineffective to coordinate the band and the playing became dull and messy. I think he should drop Mozart from his repertoire in future.

Instead of the orchestra usual silky and bright tone, a murky start began the first movement of Mozart's piano concerto no. 22. The tone colour of the woodwinds was dense and shapeless with phrasing, except the flautist Megan Sterling who always tried hard to produce beautiful playing and a sense of direction. One could feel the orchestra often a fraction behind the soloist and generally produced a dull colour in their playing. Lortie was better at the start before losing his focus in rest of the concerto. His touch on the piano was appropriate in weight with tenderness. Atmospherically captured the sweetness and being elegant. The playing was natural and always flowing. The cadenza was not too flamboyant neither too distanced from style. The strings were not too sentimental in the sorrow opening of the second movement. Though sectional dialogue were not effective to communicate to each other and gradually dragged in tempo. I wondered if they were all too worried and distracted by Jaap's laborious conducting by too many indications. Lortie seems affected by the hesitations and began to lose sense of structure in phrasing. He slightly hurried through the movement and the underlying sadness of the piece became a subtle statement of objectivity. An underwhelming start of the third movement with the wind section being lacked of confident in their entries and muddled in tone colour. Tutti moments felt to be indifferent and cool. The playing was too careful and rigid, which failed to capture the cheerful and optimistic dance like atmosphere. In opposite, Lortie's phrasing became rather random, sometimes indulging in one passage that lost the pace, and rhythmically uneven in the scale passages. By the end it seems everyone on stage had lost interest in the piece, a shame really.

In contrast to the first half, the orchestra gave a spellbinding and superlative performance of the Bruckner fourth symphony. The Philadelphia orchestra performance was felt like a long riding journey while searching for an ultimate solution and a negotiation between emotions. In this performance though positivism and musicality prevailed brilliantly. The music painted a dazzling noble knight riding majestically. Musicality at its best sense and triumphantly delivered the beauty and greatness of the score. Sectional playing were more integrated as a body, balanced on technical level and communicating to each other.

The opening horn solo might not always secure with intonation but more confident and bright in tone. Tutti crescendo to the first climatic point was smooth and had the dramatic intensity. Stormy passage followed was bold than fearful of darkness before reaching the heavenly climax again. I never hear the trumpeters of the orchestra ever played the rotary trumpets so magnificent and confident. Meagan Sterling again produced some exquisite playing in the flute solo. Atmospherically sweet in the pastoral scene and the cellos' playing was earthy. One could feel alike gazing golden wheat fields than only a horse galloping on the road. The trombones made a silvery body of sound at the conclusion of the first movement.

Instead of sentiment and being enigmatic, the orchestra interpretation of the second movement was silky in texture and being majestic. The transition between themes were naturally interwoven. Lower strings produced an earthy tone but not dense, which probably explained why there was a sense of Italianate warmth and mellow. The orchestra rightfully articulated the dance passage with a strong sense of rhythmic momentum and flexibility. The violas excelled themselves in the emotional solo passage with beautiful playing. Appropriate bowing that sustained the legato and intensity. The ending was not a clock ticking moment but expressive strings playing had provided a direction in journey. One could probably imagine the slow march at forest by animals as depicted in Des Knaben Wunderhorn.

What the orchestra slightly lacked in the third movement was that dramatic wildness to unleash the energy and muscular movements of a hunting scene. The horn solo and trumpets were steady and careful, which turned into neat hunting calls. Though the phrasing and sense of line still maintained the structure and focus in direction. Woodwinds were rather sweet in tone at the pastoral passage in the trio section. At return to the scherzo, the orchestra was highly disciplined rhythmically with the accelerando and made the contrast in dynamics. Again the dialogue between strings and winds were effective and the music danced vividly.

The last movement is supposedly a long search for the final resolve, but this performance became a celebration of the sheer brilliancy and beauty of the music itself. The orchestra might not have the sheer weight in sound but again musical sense was strong, especially among sectional dialogues. The transition to the second climax was fluid and not heavy in sound weight. The brass section sounded magnificent in the triumphant moment with blazing tone colour and being confident in entry. As this point the mood became mysterious and slowly built up the intensity for the long conclusion. The strings were a bit lean in body for the emotional outpour but had the road map in mind where they were sailed towards. The wild and violent climax was not too enigmatic for understanding, but a negotiation between the tragic and emotions before the opening theme re-emerged. The emotional end became a resounding triumph than merely reaching the end point of a journey. In general, Jaap's conducting was noticeably more precise to indicate the desired dynamics and tempos. The momentum was wonderfully paced and always let the music with the space to breathe and sing. It was truly a memorable account of the symphony. 

Review - Yan Pascal Tortelier, Jakob Koranyi, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, 22 May 2016

Valses nobles et sentimentales (Ravel)
Cello Concert No. 1 in a minor (Saint-Saëns)
Encore: Song of the Birds (Casals)

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Debussy)
Tod und Verklärung (Richard Strauss)

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Jakob Koranyi (Cello Soloist)

Yan Pascal Tortelier (Conductor)

After two evenings of predominant German works performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the local philharmonic orchestra offered a mostly French programme in contrast. Atmospherically lighter works made a change from the rich and muscular sound world since Parsifal at Madrid in April. I also felt the chosen music fit well with the polish and bright timbre of the orchestra.

Though probably due to the tight schedule of rehearsals, Tortelier conducted every note with too many indications. After a pompous festive dance opening in the Valses nobles et sentimentales, the momentum became rather mechanical and square in the surreal second movement. There were too much lingering as the players had to wait for the conductor to give the down beat. Beautiful playing from the woodwinds but the music need to flow more instead of stiffness, especially the piece was all about waltz dancing.

Tortelier's laborious conducting produced a vertical reading of the score that not able to produce direction in the playing. Although not as terrible as Jader Bignamini in Netrebko's Hong Kong gala, who failed to conduct ahead and resulted many tempo negotiation issues, it became problematic in Saint-Saëns first cello concerto when the orchestra constantly a fraction behind the soloist. There were some imprecision in his conducting which caused messy coordination in entries. The cellist Jakob Koranyi was alerted to the situation and his playing remained smooth and refine. He had a sense of naturalism and at ease to play through thick fugal passage. Even sitting far away from the stage one could feel the presence of the body of sound that filling the hall nicely. A star to watch out in future.

In the second half, the orchestra sounded very confident in Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune by expressing its own will shaping the music than following the conductor. More connected between sections and captured the dreamy atmosphere vividly. Radiant flute solo playing from Megan Sterling by being unhurried and tender. It was also my first to listen to Tod und Verklärung by Richard Strauss. Probably best to describe it as an instrumental version of his opera Daphne, which structurally similar with a long second half towards a heavenward conclusion, though a mysterious opening than a pastoral one. In this performance atmospherically the beginning was not too bleak during the cor anglais solo with tremolo by the double basses. Though the tension of the violent stormy passage did not make quite an impact, and again Tortelier's vertical reading of the score failed to make the transition to the calm and peaceful section a smooth one. The orchestra produced a magnificent sound in climatic moments and highly emotional, but the playing still lacked focus in direction. The tempo towards the end gradually became too broad and as a result the supposed sublime conclusion sounded a boring climb. Otherwise it would have been a wonderful discovery if the conductor would allow the orchestra to do its work than too many instructions.

Jakob Koranyi

Review - Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, 19 May 2016 & 20 May 2016

19 May 2016
Symphony No. 2 (Brahms)
Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov)
Encore: Petit adagio from 'Autumn' from The Seasons (Glazunov)

20 May 2016

String Quartet No. 11 'Serioso' (Beethoven, arranged by Mahler)

Symphony No. 4 (Bruckner)

Encore: 'Sheep may safely graze' (Bach, orchestrated by Stokowski)

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Conductor)

The Philadelphia Orchestra two day residency in Hong Kong compensated the underwhelming orchestral offers during the arts festival in March. No concerto in the programme but we were treated with three substantial symphonic works and an arranged chamber work for string orchestra. It was also my first to see Yannick Nézet-Séguin in live action. I had some expectation since there was a rumour that he would be the next music director of the Metropolitan Opera in New Year. As a whole the showcase was memorable to an extent and the Bruckner fourth symphony made a stunning conclusion.

The first evening was a mixed affair. I suspected orchestra members were still recovering from the jet lag and adjusting to the acoustics. The first movement of Brahms second symphony was an unending song from beginning to end. There were some occasional similarity to Mendelssohn's overture 'The Herbrides'. Both lower strings and horns seems uncertain in direction at the mysterious fog heavy opening. Soon the passionate tutti put the playing back on track. Amidst the contrasting passages in dynamic, texture and pattern, there were some beautiful playing from the woodwinds and the cellos. The orchestra was responsive to the dynamic indication and retained the presence even at pianissimo. Yannick never over phrase the music in his conducting and had the confident in the band to do its own work. The articulation was natural with momentum and gradually built up the climax in the fugal passage. The only weak part was the solo horn player, which the tone sounded muffled and remained a let down throughout rest of the concerts.

Although a promising start, I did not find the orchestra managed to find the direction in rest of the symphony. The cello solo at the opening of second movement lacked shape in the playing. Dialogues between sections also would need the space to let the music breathe instead of hurrying along in swift tempo. It all sounded moody and unsure where sailing into. The cor anglais pastoral passage at the beginning of the third movement would need to dance more with the music. There were merits though in the peasant dance like presto passage that being unhurried and highly disciplined on rhythmical precision. Strings were rather messy in the fourth movement and did not match the same sense of momentum as in the first movement. It was only until the finale that the playing improved as a body and the brass produced some blazing tone.

During interval, I spotted three non occupied seats in middle of the stall and decided to move there. The orchestra balance was better than where I originally sat behind a wall of double basses. Though I neither enjoy nor dislike the objective approach of Scheherzade in the second half. The violin solo at the beginning produced a silvery tone but the concertmaster seems uncertain with the bowing directions and sight reading like. The upper strings sustained the same colour but sounded rather thin in body with less bow hairs being employed. The flute solo again stood out with some exquisite playing. Dialogue between wind players produced a better sense of music direction and unhurried in momentum in comparison. Radiant playing from the lower strings, particularly the cellos, with a mellow rich tone and I found it moving.

Though the lyrical passages could have allow more time to indulge the music more. Sectional dialogues were still far from connecting as a body and lacked the fluidness. Both the trombone and horn duet were capable technical wise, but the produced sound were again muddy and far from making an impression. The rhythmically robust passage in the fourth movement would have been more successful if more bites from the upper strings with the urge and attack. Again only at the finale the orchestra produced a more muscular and passionate body of sound. The final violin solo was more secured in bow directions and more hairs on the strings, though intonation was shaky as the positions went up. I felt the closing could have taken the tempo slower for a spellbinding conclusion. Yannick was probably not that familiar with the music as he looked at the score more often. A polish account of the work, but holding back the emotion and not indulge in some rubato moment seems taking away the expression and distinctive colour.

The second evening began with a lesser known Mahler arrangement of the last quartet from Beethoven's middle period. It was an intellectual choice to showcase the strings with a time relevancy to the Bruckner fourth symphony. The work itself seems telling Beethoven could not settle on a logical modulations but abrupt jump in keys instead. The fluctuation in mood changes were often enigmatic, moody or sarcastic. Tempo wise the ensemble would not have the same flexibility as a string quartet but a different sound texture that interested me. Compare to previous evening, strings players employed more hairs on the bow to produce a richer sound. They had a better sense in crafting the structure and more intimate dialogue between sections. The lower strings gave the rhythmic punch and intention in the violent passage of the first movement. It would have been effective if the upper strings could match with better phrasing. The horse galloping like third movement was successfully visualised with the sheer sense of energy and bites on the bows. There were even moments I thought in texture echoing the first movement of Beethoven ninth symphony. The allegretto of the fourth movement would still need more space and patient for the music to sing more. The presto ending was thrilling though with the impact of momentum but one could detect the composer was not wholeheartedly commit to the positivism. I was also impressed by how well Yannick knew the work and guided the musicians with appropriate indications. The playing was never heavy and dragged. His non interventionist conducting kept the music flowing and the structure being naturally shaped. Small gestures were effective and marking the differentiation in what he wanted dynamic wise or where the focus should be at the spot.

If high marks for the first half, his execution of Bruckner fourth symphony was even better and memorable with many magnificent moments. I felt the performance helped me to visualise the scenes or expressions that the composer had in mind. One would imagine the first movement was a long search journey whether walking or riding along the hills next to a great river, perhaps the Rhine or Danube. The horn solo at the beginning was slightly shaky but soon the tutti crescendo culminated a rich body of sound pushing towards the first climax. Smooth climbs in the arpeggio passage between the quiet moment and violent climatic point. The brass section then made a brilliant muscular tone with warmth to mark a contrast in dynamics and atmosphere. Upper strings were technically capable but the playing was rather cloudy in the expressive passage followed. The trio between solo flue, trumpets and horns maintained a good direction though. As a whole the orchestral playing was more together as a body than before. Sections responded to each other and kept the music refreshing, which produced the motivation to look forward to the next development.

Radiant playing from the cellos opened the second movement. The lower strings produced a beautiful and mellow tone in the melodic passage with pizzicatos from the upper strings on top. Finally the tempo of slow movement was not in hurry and had the space for the music to breathe. Though the horns did not quite match the mark set by the strings in the wind dialogue. Phrasing was not its forte and some notes sounded to me were not in its full value. A dramatic transition from a muscular rich tutti to the quietest moment alike walking on tiptoe. The cellos was not over sentimental with its playing in the third solo passage, and at the same time captured the tragic feeling where the music was heading into. The final part felt like clock ticking forever. Triumphant climax from the brass did not brighten up the atmosphere but only the music became more mysterious at the end.

In opposite, the third movement could be imagined as a pastoral hunting scene. The trombones and trumpets were brilliant and confident in the hunting calls, but again the horns' playing were muffled and notes were not differentiated clear enough. The muscular scherzo was answered by an elegant trio by the woodwinds. There were more facial expressions from Yannick at the recapitulation, and could sense the orchestral playing more playful than the first round.

The final movement again recalled the long search journey in the beginning but this time the walking pace was in hurried than before. It was neither definite in message as the third movement as what to look for in actual, or the composer struggled to find a satisfactory conclusion. The orchestral playing showed no sign of tiredness or boredom though and kept the interest going. Energetic tutti started off the violent and dramatic opening. A brief moment of triumphant outburst before the strings and woodwinds played the enigmatic minuet dance passage. The brass again brilliantly played in the tempestuous response and as section had the flexibility to capture the atmospheric contrast. Objective playing had been the norm to this point but sentiments were finally allowed. The strings poured out the emotions accompanied by majestic brass playing to aim for another triumphant climax. Yet the exquisite flute solo marked it was only a transition but a long way before reaching the end, which was to recall the opening of first movement. Emotions were accumulated and the orchestra sounded very different than before. A radiant body of sound by being more dense and richer in tone. It found its way how to integrate into the music with character than merely playing the notes. The ending was spellbinding and took the breath away by its intensity.

If one has to look out for superlative Bruckner symphonic experience in future, Yannick is the conductor to go after and to be amazed by how he conducted the music by heart and hardly looking at the score. He gives whatever necessary to articulate and the same time to let the musicians do its work. Nothing exaggerate or dictatorship from the podium but clear, simple and effective indications to command. To maintain such balance could be high risk if the band is not capable or not always able to deliver. This performance confirmed the trust and partnership could deliver some wonderful music making and that matter most. 

Review - 25 Aniversario del Teatro de la Maestranza, 29 April 2016 & 30 April 2016

29 April 2016
Obertura de La muerte de Tasso (Garcia)
Danza no 1 de La vida breve (Falla)
Orgía de Danzas fantásticas (Turina)

Tiento del primer tono y Batalla Imperial (C. Halffter)

Carmina Burana (Orff)

Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España

Escolanía de Los Palacios

Leonor Bonilla (Soprano solo)

Beñat Egiarte (Tenor solo)

Carlos Daza (Baritone solo)

30 April 2016

'Freudig begrüssen wir' from Tannhäuser (Wagner)

Excepts from Carmen (Bizet)

'Vilja Lied' from Die lustige Witwe (Lehár)

Coro di zingari from Il Trovatore (Verdi)

Te Deum from Tosca (Puccini)

Abridged version of act three from Götterdämmerung (Wagner, arranged by P. Halffter)

'Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate' from Nabucco (Verdi)

'Heil! Heil! Der Gnade Wunder Heil!' from Tannhäuser (Wagner)

Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla

Coro de la Asociación de Amigos del Teatro de la Maestranza de Sevilla
María José Montiel (Mezzo-soprano solo)
Mariola Cantarero (Soprano solo)
Juan Pons (Baritone solo)

Pedro Halffter (Music Director)

Year 2016 marks the celebration of two significant cultural institutes in Spain. Teatro Real Madrid begins its three year-long bicentenary programme, and Teatro de la Maestranza of Seville celebrates its silver jubilee with two special concerts in consecutive evenings. The opera building in Seville is relatively recent with a circular auditorium to ensure a reasonable sightline of the stage from every seat in the house. A rather resonate acoustic that could hear echo from the balcony at where I sat on the first balcony. Though no bars served refreshments at the foyer and only a shop selling opera records and past house programmes. The theatre is also the city major performing art venue and gives a season programme with a mixture of genre from zarzuelas to symphonic concerts.

First evening of the celebration featured the national orchestra and choir. The programme consisted an anthology of orchestral works by four Spanish composers spanning from the 18th century to modern time before interval, then Carmina Burana by the combined force. Garcia's overture from his opera 'La muerte de Tasso' was heavily late Beethovenian in style and retained the slow (adagio) then fast (presto) tempo structure. A sophisticated imitation I reckon by composition, but the orchestra was probably still adjusting to the hall acoustic and had moments of sight reading like playing. Falla's interlude and Spanish dance still bear the late romantic feature of a tragic opening, and not too different from the general European musical language of the time. The orchestral playing again dragged and need to dance more. Perhaps it would benefit if Pedro Halffter conducts without a long baton and less rigid in phrasing the music for these sort of repertoire.

I felt Turina's Orgía de Danzas fantásticas was the only work on programme had a distinctive musical character with Andalusian influence. A wild, passionate and muscular opening followed by intimate woodwind solos and light hearted dance passages. Though phrasing was still questionable and sometimes too much rubato that not forming the right shape. Tiento del primer tono y Batalla Imperial by Cristóbal Halffter was a debatable choice to represent contemporary Spanish symphonic works. It was more interesting to hear the harmonic progression of the opening based on tientos by Cabezón. The fanfare like Batalla Imperial was a technique showcase for the brass section but for me musically the repetitive texture not inspiring.

Later the orchestra was more together and responsive joined by the chorus and soloists in Carmina Burana. It seems more rehearsal time was spent on polishing playing than items in the first half. The choir surprised me by maintaining good intonation throughout and the massed voices blended very well together with minimal vibrato. Not only produce a wall of sound and good rhythmic precision, it also had the differentiation in vocal colour and body weight between parts. Diction was generally good and one could understand the sung text easily. Despite the tempo was slightly on the board side, Pedro Halffter maintained a good momentum to allow space for the music to breath. Again I felt he could conduct without the baton so the music playing could flow more to avoid over indication, particular in 'Veris leta facies'. Beautiful timbre from the baritone soloist Carlos Daza with the desired richness in vocal colour and being healthy. He sang without strains nor barking out the demanding vocal range even sometimes underweight in volume. Leonor Bonilla was comfortable with the tessitura of her part and a flexible voice being secure along the wide vocal range. Diction was not always clear though probably because she was more focused on getting the notes right. Unfortunately the tenor Beñat Egiarte collapsed after singing the first half of roasted swan song, who looked pale since the beginning of the concert. The incident did not overshadow rest of the performance and a standing ovation was given at the end for this superlative performance of Carl Orff's best known choral work.

The second evening performance finally featured the the opera house own orchestra and chorus. A predominant German, Italian and French works formed the programme but surprisingly no zarzuela or bel canto works. The entrance song from Wagner's Tannhäuser made a masculine and jubilant opening. It confirmed that the musicians more used to the hall acoustic than their colleague from Madrid. The produced sound was thicker and more confident with the playing, particularly the strings. María José Montiel's Carmen was a full blooded affair in terms of her presence and the richness of her voice as mezzo. Though sometimes her rubato dragged the music so much that lost direction and the shape of line. Her French diction mostly muddled and sometimes difficult to understand the words she was singing. In contrast, Mariola Cantarero was slightly underweight in volume but a more pleasant voice with the right timbre in Lehar. Her phrasing of the music was natural and a flexible voice to sing the coloratura with ease. The choir gave a wall of sound in the anvil chorus from Trovatore and the vibrato among the soprano section was acceptable that still produced a clear melodic line. Rousing choral moments continued with the te deum scene from Tosca. Renowned baritone Juan Pons still could sing capably as Scarpia despite showing signs of age in terms of physical mobility and took some effort to sustain the breathing.

Halffter own bridged version of the final act from Wagner's Götterdämmerung dominated the second half. The arrangement was a sample of leitmotifs: the hunting motive, rheinmaiden, Siegfried horn calls, the song of woodbird, Siegfried's funeral match and immolation scene. A large battery of brass instruments dominating the centre stage made a visual impact and the sound filled the hall acoustic very well. The orchestral playing had a good start but soon coordination problems emerged. Strings dragged the tempo several times, brass was not always with intonation and lacked confident in some entries. Generally the band would need more experience with phrasing and also to locate the character in Wagner's works than only a mere rendition. Atmospherically the piece was also solemn and produced a sense of heaviness for the supposed celebration. It was no surprise that a more enthusiastic receptions were given after chorus of Hebrew slaves from Verdi's Nabucco and the rousing finale from Wagner's Tannhäuser, which marked the closing. The gala was bold on dramatic repertoire but next time the organiser should include some lyrical works for contrast, or simply too rich for one evening.

Review - Der König Kandaules (Zemlinsky), Opera Gent, 24 April 2016

Der König Kandaules - Dmitry Golovnin
Nyssia - Elisabet Strid
Gyges - Gidon Saks
Phedros - Vincenzo Neri

Symfonisch Orkest Opera Vlaanderen
Dimitri Jurowski (Conductor)

Salome and Elektra by Richard Strauss were supposedly hard acts to follow both musically and storytelling by gone as far advance and daring than its time. The esthetic of art nouveau to portray obsessed women in theatre could divide opinion, and one would question the purpose of presenting brutal tales and madness on stage. Though moral dimension should not be the focus or spending moment to judge, but allow the emotional impact of blood and drama to fascinate us. Despite Zemlinsky did not finish orchestrating the whole score of King Kandaules, which the challenge was understandable coupled with ill health, the 1993 completion by Antony Beaumont produced a convincing case why this work could match the other two in full.

To avoid focusing on a primary motive that triggered off the murder throughout the performance, Andrij Zholdak added a level of complexity by repeating murder scenes in different forms according to characters. Instead of portraying a gender generalisation, which on surface only Queen Nyssia had the utter motive to kill, the staging demonstrated how individual's obsession was driven by own desire, and to create different motives triggering off the bloodshed. Everything took place inside a modern house with three floors divided each level into two rooms. In the opening scene, we saw the queen frightened by the rebellious children in the dining room on ground level, and the king also being dominant and violent towards her. A young male cleaner in naked top walked across the top level of the house by being explicitly sexual. It probably suggested the queen fantasised sexual desires but suppressed herself because of the environment. The children carried a gutted salmon but no ring was seen. An unhappy life was shown but the queen failed to find any courage to kill and looking weak.

The next part saw courtiers congregated in the room above the kitchen and focused on an overheard television, which showed actions in other rooms. Nyssia hated the children and became nasty by telling them off. Although the king was thought highly in authority wearing his armour and sword, he seems to be haunted by visions of death and that his world falling apart. He saw Gyges killing his wife in the kitchen and exposed a ring from the vault. The children also interchanged to a boy and a girl after being two boys at the start. They were stopped when one tried to hang himself. Gyges was also sexually erotic for the queen but mentally unstable to control himself. The illusion deepened when Gyges's wife stood alive again but then beheaded by him again. It became a nightmare for Nyssia with what she saw and later fell dead on the dining table. The courtiers laughed in the room when the horror happened and their moments of singing was atmospherically judgemental.

Zholdak signalled a new start in the beginning of act two by children shooting all courtiers and symbolically ended their perception. King Kandaules' desires were presented finally. He probably seeking a more comfortable situation imagining everyone were satisfied and behaved orderly in his household. A garden was set up in front of the house. The dining room was decorated with flowers, family orientated kitchen with fridge, nice sitting room for television and even a tanning bed in the dining room. Servants enjoyed their food and drinks in the kitchen. Raw meats were even being scattered around the house. It was as if they enjoyed a good and abundant life, but were silenced and obedient compare to before. The children were two boys again as what Kandaules seems to prefer. He also sat in a tanning bed while interacting with Gyges. Displaying gadgets probably to show himself a wealthy and content lifestyle, and hoping Gyges to respect him. The rather cool Nyssia did not come into the room at first but observing from above. He seems desired her to love him eventually when they sang the duet passionately.

The discourse of good life fell apart as the focuses turned to the perceptions of Gyges and Nyssia, and from there the situation in the house went downward from there. Gyges was portrayed mentally unstable to provide reason why he killed his wife in the first place besides attracted to Nyssia. The queen destroyed the flowers in the dining room and ripped off the kitchen interior. Servants performed fetish acts with the black servant slapped the bottom of the nearly naked young guy, who was the seductive cleaner of Nyssia before. There were even two rats mating each other on the bed in the top floor. Kandaules was in agony when Gyges killed one of the children, wrapped in a pastry skin and Nyssia did not return affections to him. Though here Gyges did not intend to kill the king and neither Nyssia had the courage to kill. He saw himself being crowded as ruler instead.

Ironically towards the end, Nyssia turned to be the most violent and cruel of all characters compare to the beginning when she suffered from an unhappy life with Kandaules. She saw him nothing good but a tyrant with cruelty. Distorted images of Kandaules set herself motivation to turn towards the path of murder: servants mincing meat suggested hurting the flesh; the children brought the beheaded mouses around; and the black servant was instructed to kill an elderly servant, who was probably been serving a long time. She feared for the same fate like the others and had Gyges to be the executioner. He threatened the children and also requested the servants to bring the fish into the the house, then killed them all including Kandaules. That was not the end though as Nyssia saw his ambition to be king after the slaughter and decided it would be best he died on her knife too. The queen finally achieved what she had been struggled with: to kill and destroy the life she hated in her way.

Zholdak's staging might look confusing with various illusions and difficult to distinguish which represented the reality or imagination. It could be enigmatic and shocking to see Gyges's wife and Nyssia being killed and brought back to life, along with extra silenced characters walking around the house, creatures were shown too with rats and fish. The ring itself might not be the focus visually but horrible things began to emerge after Gyges unearthed it from the vault. Occasionally we saw lightning effects probably to mark a change or highlight particular moment. But I felt the staging was on purpose to portray opposites of the beginning when the queen was unhappy to our knowledge. Throughout the whole viewing presented different circumstances connecting to what the main character in that scene perceived of the situation. The feeling of randomness highlighted the complexity of inner emotion. The staging also connected to the musical language as the first half being objective and impersonal, which connected to the courtiers' sarcasm. Later more romantic and passionate in the second half until the use of snare drums alike a the death march to capture the violence between the trio.

Like Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg, music for the role of protagonist was demanding in vocal range and required a heldentenor for the volume. The tessitura of the part was comfortable for Dmitry Golovnin's vocal range but his diction in German was far from ideal. It also took some time to warm up his voice as timbre not always comfortable for the ears. He was also rather stiff in action compare to Elisabet Strid, who was more flexible and mobile on stage. Her intonation was good and a pleasant voice with body. Diction also not always clear like Golovnin and the vocal projection would only work in this not too big theater. Powerful voice from Gidon Saks as Gyges and he was better with the words than his colleagues. Baritone by timbre but not too light in richness. Courtiers were sung by house singers and there were several promising ones worth for future hearing. Acoustic on the first balcony where I sat was fine and not too loud for balance. The brass section improved as they warmed up to avoid being harsh and not focus. I found the orchestral playing slightly out of shape in the first act that Dimitri Jurowski seems not getting a grip with the phrasing. He was more able to find the way to conduct in the more romantic and tune orientated second half. The orchestral playing also lacked some contrast in dynamic levels but dramatically effective to build the climatic ending. I hope the intellectually stimulating production will be shown again in future.

Review - Parsifal (Wagner), Teatro Real Madrid, 18 April 2016 & 21 April 2016

Gurnemanz - Franz-Josef Selig
Parsifal - Klaus Florian Vogt
Kundry - Anja Kampe
Amfortas - Detlef Roth
Klingsor - Evgeny Nikitin
Titurel - Ante Jerkunica
Bailarín - Joaquín Fernández

Coro y Orquesta Titulares del Teatro Real
Director - Claus Guth
Conductor - Semyon Bychkov

I had chosen to see the performances of Parsifal in Madrid twice not only because of the attractive casting, but a second viewing was essential for a thorough understanding of Claus Guth's insightful staging. My past experience of Guth's stagings of Der Rosenkavalier for Frankfurt opera and Fidelio at Salzburg Festival not always straight forward at first viewing. It took some time to digest and think on the directorial approach to make sense of the underlying messages and intentions. Although Guth's staging of Parsifal visually not always a beauty for the eyes, the interpretation seems conventional in sight but always there is a twist. Inevitably three debatable questions arose from discussions with my friends, which whether the directorial approach suggesting the work itself was religiously symbolic in the context of Christianity, the relationship between Amfortas and Klingsor a family one or brotherhood within an institution, why Amfortas struggled or even refused to perform the holy ritual and only Parsifal became the redeemer. The work itself had created endless interpretations but this review would address Guth's approach in context than making other assumptions, otherwise it would lose the focus and fail from a logical reflection.

Instead of a castle surrounding, the first act was set in a hospital for wounded soldiers, a reference to act three mentioning the casualties of wars. Guth's trademark of stage turntable showed us a reception area with staircase, another room in two floors and the other a large hall with balcony. Each section of the space has its defined purpose and points of actions. The messages were clear in scenes and circular movements of the turntable made a statement. The reception was on purposefully to be bleak and unwelcoming. Its purpose was what triggered off the story development, often the platform for Gurnemanz's narration of the past and preaching his thoughts. The hall was a display of members and large scene in scale.

The room separated in two half was most interesting with cases of the holy spear and grail on the upper level, in contrast to ground level where all woes and wrongdoings happened. Symbolically it associated with the paradigm of upper room: the last supper, washing of the feets, resurrection and Pentecost, which centred on the christian core belief in redemption of sins through the death and resurrection sequence of Christ. The room was not only for storage and display of mystical wonder, but importantly presenting the causes of what went wrong inside the institution among its leadership, and the pains Amfortas suffered from performing the ritual that supposedly to save the knights from destruction. The absence of either the holy item would bring harm by its power than doing good.

Gurnemanz's narration in first act saw Kundry being hapless to heal nor improve the situation. Even the herbs she brought from Arabia would only relieve Amfortas's sufferings but not improving. The scene of holy bath was not shown but one could assume nothing extraordinary. She was also trapped by her loyalties to both evils and goods. She saw the decline but ironically brought the destruction upon the Knights on behalf of Klingsor, as revenge on being treated unfairly by Titurel. Her seduction of Amfortas made him weak in flesh even as lord of lineage to the supposed powerful keeper of the sacred vessels. It was no wonder she laughed sarcastically by seeing wounded soldiers suffered on bed and the falling was destined as no one could prevent the destruction of themselves. Interestingly the doctors and nurses were supposedly to heal and care for the suffering ones, but their blind following of orders and rules indirectly accelerate the destruction.

I thought by portraying Gurnemanz as a ordained Christian priest was an indirect statement from Guth, which suggesting dated beliefs and ritualistic performance of the church were ineffective to renew this organisation. Forcing soldiers to sing hymns, falling to their knees to pray and worshipping were seen as abstract and alien, neither to inspire the members where they should be going forward to. He also did not prevent other soldiers nor the medical staffs to bully the dancer, who represented the pains and agony suffered by Amfortas by physical expression in movements. It was as the character just an ordinary soldier driven to madness by wounds from war, but we as spectator understood who he was portraying in actual.

Various approaches differed on who demanded Amfortas to perform the ritual and its purpose. For example from Munich, the Konwitschny's production saw the knights blaming Amfortas for not able to revive the tree of life and the life in bunker. The recent Viennese version saw a frantic male religious organisation put women and children as sacrificial prisoners in the dark dungeon but Amfortas was a character to perform. Guth saw differently by emphasising the role of Titurel more important than the other two. In reference to the close relation between the old King and Klingsor, the extra scene during the playing of prelude we saw Klingsor was visibly upset and crushed the wine glass when Titurel favoured Amfortas over a meal. Later the old king created the suffering by forcing Amfortas to perform the tortuous ceremony and opened his wounds for the supposed blood for eucharist. The ritual was an obsession/madness for desire than any miracle for the fragile souls and body.

I felt Parsifal's silence response to Gurnemanz's demand of answer was not foolish or incapable here, but shocked by the awfulness of the cruel ritual as witness. Amfortas desired for death to release himself from the burden made the point someone else would need another way to become a redeemer to bring upon the salvation. Parsifal understood to save the organisation from deterioration was to experience the sufferings and conquered the temptations. The holy tools were to be united for its divine power and he himself by experiencing holy wars would be one answer, just as Christ went to test in the wilderness for forty days and resisting temptations.

Though whether Parsifal acts as a copy of Christ's death and resurrection for redemption was not the the point Guth probably felt on the composer's objective in creating work. Salvation here was not at all spiritual but rather a management rescue process. Also to become the redeemer of a new belief it required three core elements: knowing his actual background and released himself from the past, which Kundry nor Amfortas failed to do so as they were trapped by the situation; the mentioned task to unite the holy tools but not using to wield power in wars and a physical endurance to overcome at hard condition; also the ability to resist physical and emotional affections.

Nowhere was the last point being mentioned as a sin, but love would not help the leader to stay strong and protect the institution from decay, which was a direct response to the ring cycle that Siegfried and Brunnhilde brought the downfall of gods than saving it. Thus, Parsifal would need to experience by resisting the temptation of falling in love with Kundry and remain celibacy for purity in order to become the redeemer. Instead of a colourful garden, Guth set act two like a ball in the fashion of Edwardian era. The realism made an intimate setting for the flower maidens and Kundry with flamboyant outlooks to keep the men falling under their spells. It was not a demonstration for lust or physical satisfaction, but guiding us through the process to search the purpose and role for the protagonist. Despite Parsifal and Kundry had moments of intense affections, in the end he realised it would require himself to release everyone from their agony by going one step forward than enjoying the earthly satisfaction.

Act three then presented the ultimate vision of what Guth felt the composer was experimenting with his philosophical construction for the new religion. Resisting the temptation of affection did not mean a total rejection of companionship. Parsifal had the silenced Kundry cleansed with water from the holy fountain after he received it from Gurnemanz. The baptism was a symbolic moment that a new way was found and received to transform the deserted hospital in a dilapidated state, which Gurnemanz still guarding for the foretold restoration and the expected new leader. Kundry in return cleaned Parsifal's feet with hair and rubbed with oil. While he blamed himself for their sufferings, he recovered the insane soldiers to sanity and stopped their agony. The implicit biblical references to the acts of Mary Magdalene at last supper and performance of miracles by Christ reinforced the argument that Guth saw the composer the biblical reference to construct his belief/new religion from the core Christian beliefs. One could not separate the two as it was the basis which Wagner built his theory on before evolving into a new ideology. Though the materials might be similiar but one could feel the difference in which two ideology develop.

The whole institution lost its direction and driven to illogical madness at Titurel's death and his funeral. The crowd themselves now demanding Amfortas the performance of the ritual, who would prefer dying to relieve his suffering instead, and thought it would save them all as the mad king thought. The entry of Parsifal with holy spear came to an unexpected development as result. It was odd and unexpected when Guth portrayed the protagonist to become the new military leader of the institute, a respond to Parsifal asking to be crowded king of all. The soldiers recovered from their wartime shadow, strengthened, atmospherically proud and glorified the renewed military might. Perhaps it was on purpose that we should feel uncomfortable by what perceived as an outcome, in parallel towards the end of First World War that celebration came first than a sorrow remembrance. We would find it politically incorrect for our time but one should be mindful back then it was the norm. The development was logical within the historical time frame and nothing shocking. Guth seems suggesting Wagner's search to construct his new religion actually a dangerous idea at the end, and in broad religion itself would create problematic idea like nationalism. We were also left with the open question as whether Klingsor and Amfortas, as they sat next to each other in the end, reconciled on what relation level? Could now Parsifal restore the glory or it was only the end of everything?



Musically in general the Thursday performance was better than Monday in terms of coordination and tempo. Semyon Bychkov knew better how to conduct the work than the disastrous performance of Beethoven fourth symphony I experienced in Rome few years ago. There were enough space in the playing that neither hurried or too slow. The Teatro Real orchestra could produce a magnificent sound particularly during climatic tutti moments with choral singing. Act two was most satisfactory by keeping a good momentum in shaping the music but sluggish sometimes in other two acts. That was probably why I felt the playing not always making the emotional impact despite refined playing. Board tempo was not a problem for this work but it needed some direction than suspending too much. There were also two obvious slips on Thursday with a cello entered too early after a fermata and the brass playing wrong notes in act one. Despite the mistakes, the hall acoustic should be credited for a good sound balance, which the orchestral sound never drowned out the singer and neither the singers had to be forceful with volumes.

I was not as critical as my friends about Detlef Roth's Amfortas that vocally he was capable and pleasant for ears despite losing some focus with phrasing towards the end  probably due to tiredness. Ante Jerkunica made an impression as Titurel not only because of the role emphasis more in Guth's staying, but also his voice delivered the impact of a rich sound filling the hall very well. Franz-Josef Selig might not be the most radiant Gurnemanz I heard so far because of his timbre not always had the warmth nor rich, nonetheless, he phrased the singing line in a good shape. Klaus Florian Vogt's Parsifal was probably the best available tenor at the moment that the tenderness and legato in his timbre still maintained the vocal presence and a wonderful sense with phrasing. He also did not have problem with the words for those who remembered him struggled with the prize song in Der Meistersinger from Staatsoper Berlin last year. Evgeny Nikitin was again vocally an underwhelming experience that he sang beautifully but lacked the projection like the rest. Anja Kempe was so far the better sung Kundry I heard so far in live. She had a healthy voice and could be beautiful from time to time. Her tessitura was more secured to nail the high notes at the dramatic moment in second act on Thursday than Monday. It seems Bychkov had adopted a quicker tempo to accommodate those texting and challenging vocal passages. The female vocal ensemble delivered probably the best sung version of flower maidens scene in my memory. Individual voices complemented each other very much and technically all capable without slips or making any ugly sound. The male chorus delivered a better sound of wall on Thursday than Monday. The German diction was clearly understood and maintained good intonation throughout. On Monday the amplification of female choral singing was problematic by being too loud and imbalance with the live singing. Intonation on high vocal registers were better though compare to Thursday which often went flat noticeably. In sum, very fine performances of Parsifal from Teatro Real that musically more even together with a well matched vocal cast.