Hiking in the Via Alpina, 22-29 August 2016

Fanfare - Big band festival in Cortina

Day 1 - Durnstein, Krems an der Donau, Langenlois

Kicking off the Eurotrip in Austria and Italy, we drove from Vienna for about an hour to a town called Durnstein, home of the Durnstein Castle ruins and in the heart of the UNESCO-rated Wachau Valley.  Although I've been to Austria before, I could only recall my time in Vienna, so everything else would be a new experience.

Durnstein itself is incredibly small, and the walk up to the castle ruins that overlook the town was steep but short - a good warmup for the hikes to come on the trip as we reached the Dolomites.  From the top, we were greeted with an expansive view of the snaking Danube river that coursed its way through the valley.

Lunch was served riverside and naturally was heavily focused on seafood - whole char directly from the river and stuffed with dill and other herbs was particularly delicious.  After lunch, a short boat ride to the town of Krems was next on the agenda.

Krems an der Donau is actually split into three towns, but with our free hour, we walked around the historic streets.  It was a bit of an odd experience - the old architecture mixed with the new commercial brands that are ubiquitous throughout Europe, but I suppose that is characteristic of most towns like that these days.  While quaint, it was not particularly memorable, especially more than 3 weeks later, but the low-key first day was a good way to start the trip.

View from the top of Durnstein Castle looking down on the town

Durnstein Castle ruins, with the Danube in the background

Perfect setting for a riverside lunch

Durnstein Abbey 

Day 2 - Langenlois

Another low-key day on the Eurotrip - we were staying at a spectacularly modern hotel designed by Steven Holl located just above the town of Langenlois in the heart of Austrian wine country, so naturally the morning consisted of a peaceful vineyard walk.  I understand the main grape being produced is the Gruner Veltleiner but not really being a drinker it's sadly a bit hard for me to appreciate.

Someone though did come up with a brilliant idea for placing hammocks in between the vines - that is indeed quite the life.  A bit hard to get out of because they are so comfortable.

After a typically hearty Austrian meal in the town consisting of beef stew and cream soup, it was free time till the winery tour in the afternoon.  I snuck away to play 18 holes at Lengenfeld Golf Club, and surprisingly, with my rental clubs, actually played quite well, to the tune of a 73.  What a life.

The winery tour was billed as being rather "mystical", and did it deliver on that front.  I don't remember a ton, except there was an epic 5 minute laser show, animatronic robots that sang creepy tunes in wooden chests, and a rain shower in the middle of the underground winery.  Not sure what all that had to do with wine, but certainly quite memorable.

Day 3 - Gmunden, Hallstatt, Wolfgangsee, Mundsee, St Gilgen

Wow.  This is the Austria I came to see.  The famed "Sound of Music" lakes were the theme of today, starting with Traunsee, near the town of Gmunden.  Honestly, just the drives themselves today were spectacular, and if only we had more time to stop by the side of the road to take pictures.  Just stunning scenery akin to that of Switzerland.  No wonder Julie Andrews went spinning around and around.

Without a doubt however, the highlight of today is the town of Hallstatt.  This was the one place I'd heard of on the itinerary before the trip started, so I was eager with anticipation, and it certainly didn't disappoint.  Looking towards the main part of town as it abuts Hallstattsee is honestly just breathtaking - it's absolutely picture postcard perfect.  The colors are magnificent, the mountains stunning, and the water still and blue as glass.  The only thing ruining it are the swan-shaped paddle boats, although it is a bit meta for actual swans to be swimming alongside them.  But seriously, just wow.

Before heading to our lakeside hotel (another lake - Fuschlsee) - we went on a quick short walk along Wolfgangsee to the town of St Gilgen.  What I would pay for a house along the lake.  Oh wait, but I don't want to live in Austria.

Traunsee, with the castle in Gmunden

Picture perfect town of Hallstatt

Looking at Hallstatt from above

On the way to St Gilgen - Wolfgangsee

Day 4 - Salzburg and its environs

Today was the first major hike of the Eurotrip - a short drive from Schloss Fuschl, our hotel, to an area near Salzburg where we could look down into the city.  Again, not a particularly strenuous walk that took a few hours, but the scenery was gorgeous, and walking among the trees I was reminded of scenes from Lord of the Rings as well as the planet of Endor.  What a nerd.  At least I didn't hum the music as I walked.  Or maybe I did.

Towards the end of the hike, we came to a meadow that offered a view of the Austrian Alps, and in the distance, the Dolomites - our next eagerly awaited destination.  By this time, most of us had tired of the Austrian cuisine and would have killed for a simple bowl of pasta.

Dinner was in Salzburg itself, at a Michelin-starred restaurant called Esszimmer - the food was definitely well-executed, although there were a few grumbles about the appearance - in fact, dominance - of fish on the menu.  Oh, for that bowl of pasta.....

Looking down at the town of Salzburg

The hills are alive....

For some reason, this shot really reminds me of Before Sunrise...although I think that was in Vienna, so go figure...

Day 5 - Hallein salt mines, Grossglockner, Cortina

Today marks the shift from Austria to Italy.  We started off by making a quick visit to the Hallein salt mines - given that we're near Salzburg, obviously...

I recall going to a salt mine when I was a kid in Austria, but wasn't sure if this was the same one.  It was a pretty neat experience again, what with the slides - although now that I'm taller, they seemed a little shorter - and the underground boat trip, and the ongoing video saga that they played with pretty decent production values.  There wasn't actually a ton of salt that I could see, but very entertaining and informative nonetheless.

Afterwards, we began our long drive up the Grossglockner panoramic road to Italy - pretty much one hairpin turn after another, but what a stunning backdrop as we climbed over 1000m in less than an hour.  Kudos to the drivers.  Tons of motorcycles coursing along the hairpin turns too kinda made me yearn for one myself.

The views at the top when we got to our mountain refuge for lunch were incredible.  There was a small lake nearby, which again evoked thoughts of Lord of the Rings - if you're familiar, you probably know which scene I'm referring to - and the mountains were just stunning.  You could literally turn in any direction and you wouldn't take a bad picture.

But that was just the beginning - we then drove to the actual glacier, which is receding quickly - thanks, global warming - and finally caught our first glimpse of snow up close!  Not that I was expecting much, since it is the summer, but snow definitely changes the landscape dramatically.

Finally, our last stop in Austria was a view of the Helligenblut church - the picture below doesn't really do the backdrop justice.

After that, a quick drive across the border - no border checks - to Italy, and the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, where they filmed James Bond and Pink Panther in the 1960s.  Looking forward to the Dolomites tomorrow....

Crossing the border to Germany (albeit for 10 mins) underground in the salt mine

View of the mountain refuge where we ate lunch

View from the mountain refuge towards the mountains

Grossglockner glacier

Helligenblut church - stunning 

Day 6 - Tre Cime, Dolomites

Today kicked off the Italy portion of the Eurotrip, and our first hike in the famed Unesco-cited Dolomites mountain range.  Our hike was around the Tre Cime mountains, and the trail was quite crowded, even starting at 8:30 am in the morning.

But my goodness, the views are beautiful.  The hike was essentially a circuit around the Tre Cime mountains, stopping halfway for lunch at a mountain refuge.  The terrain was flat, but rocky, but certainly nothing even a beginner could not handle.  There were a few short ups and downs that may be a bit challenging, but the views and satisfaction you feel from conquering them are worth it.

After climbing / hiking / walking for about 2.5 hours, we got to the mountain refuge, and the familiar smells of pasta we had been craving for wafted through the building.  Needless to say, our meal of carbonara and ravioli was probably the most well-received of the trip so far - sometimes, it's really just the simple things in life.

After lunch, we had the option of retracing our steps downhill to the parking lot, or walking for an extra 45 minutes or so and completing the circuit.  I opted to complete the circuit, and with the mountain of pasta dragging me down, I started to regret my choice initially as the first leg of the circuit after lunch consisted of a 200m descent, followed by a similar ascent.  After plowing through that portion of the circuit however, the rest of the trail was reasonably flat and straightforward, and seriously, everything just looks like Lord of the Rings.  Who needs you, New Zealand?

View of the mountain haze and Dolomites

Famed Tre Cime mountains that we climbed around 

Starting the 200 m descent and ascent

So many cows....

View of the mountain range that we were rewarded with at the end of the hike 

Day 7 - Lagazuoi plateau

The second day of the Dolomites hike was easily the most physically taxing of the whole trip as we visited the Lagazuoi plateau.  To get there we had two options - either take a cable car directly to the top, or climb 700m from 2100 m to 2800 m to get to the mountain refuge at the top.  Naturally, I opted to climb.

Surprisingly, throughout the entire trip, I never really felt the effects of the altitude, and it was also unusually warm during the day even at that altitude - around 20 - 25 degrees.  Never did I think I would be wearing t-shirt and shorts at 2800m.

The hike itself was fantastic - similar terrain to Tre Cime, with our own hairpin turns to navigate to get to the top.  The higher we climbed, the more surprising vistas we were greeted with in all directions, and truly, you could not take a bad picture.  All around we were surrounded by marvelous views of the Dolomites, and it is here that I truly appreciated coming on the trip and visiting an area that I haven't heard of much before.  There may be similar views around the world, but even so, just seeing these magnificent mountains up close is worth it.

At the top, we were again treated to a simple yet deeply satisfying pasta meal at the refuge and even got to sample the local specialty - beetroot ravioli.  Beetroots aren't usually my thing, but when you've climbed 700m, you'll eat just about anything.  Then it was a quick 10 minute walk to the actual top of the plateau where we had a 360 degree of the Dolomite range.  Truly truly stunning.

Following lunch, it was a quick cable car ride down to the bottom - probably could've walked, but going down 700 m isn't as fun for the knees - and then a quick pitstop in the town of Cortina where they had a big band festival that day.  Cortina is pretty posh - in fact they hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics - so there wasn't much to see other than the name brands dotting the main street.  But all in all, a terrific hike and memorable day.

Looking up towards the plateau - yes, we climbed to the top of the mountain 

One of my most favorite vistas on the whole trip on the way to Lagazuoi

View of the Dolomites from the top of Lagazuoi

More views - anyone fancy traversing tha rock face?

Day 8 - Bressanone, Compatsch (Alpes de Siusi)

Today was mainly a travel day, as we departed Cortina and headed for the Siusi Alps - another section of the Dolomites.  First, we stopped in the town of Bressanone for a vineyard walk, although it turned out that there were equally abundant apple orchards on our walk through what seemed like the suburbs of Bressanone.  We arrived at the Novacello Abbey for a wine tasting and spectacular lunch that consisted mainly of gorgonzola cheese, speck, and bread.  That speck....could eat it forever.  Getting hungry just thinking about it.

After that, we took a tour of the abbey which housed some intriguing handwritten books and a beautiful library, and then the rain started.  And boy, did it rain hard.  It looked like we were trapped for a while, so we hid out in the abbey for a good 30 minutes before deciding to brave the storm and make our way to the van.

We then drove onwards to Compatsch, where we were surprised to find that to get to the hotel, we would need to take a cable car.  So into the cable car we went, and climbed up the mountain to Compatsch.  It was easily the longest cable car ride I've been on aside from Ngong Ping 360.  At the top, we were again surprised to find that our hotel was literally next to the cable car station such that the view from my room was of the cable cars.

At the hotel, we could see an expansive view of the Bullaccia plateau, one of the largest in Europe, and where we would be hiking tomorrow.  Meanwhile, the gray clouds continued to hover above us ominously....

View of the abbey from the vineyards

Stairway to Nowhere

View of the Bullaccia plateau with cable car station in the foreground

Ah, that speck....

Day 9 - Bullaccia plateau

On the last day of my Eurotrip, we walked outside the hotel and began our circuit hike of the Bullaccia plateau.  Despite being at nearly 2000m, it was so surprising to see lush green land, in stark contrast to the rocky paths of the Tre Cime.  But hey, still looks like Lord of the Rings.

The path was initially quite uneventful, but after about an hour or so, we got to the lookout point, and it was quite breathtaking.  Luckily for us, clouds had formed below us, and so as we looked down into the valley, we were literally above the cloud cover, and the effect was marvelous.  The circuit continued along the edge of the plateau, and eventually, you're just taking the same picture over and over again, but you can't stop because it's so beautiful.

Lunch again was at a mountain refuge where we had our welcome pasta meal, and we completed the circuit by racing downhill back to the hotel.  Some opted to take the cable car down instead, and somehow, those who walked got to the hotel faster.

All in all, a great, low-key way to end the Eurotrip - I highly recommend a visit to the Dolomites if you have a chance and want to do some simple, yet spectacular hiking around Europe.

View of the plateau 

Looking down into the valley 

Racing the dark clouds back to the hotel

Arrivederci, Italy 

Review - Madama Butterfly (Puccini), Opera Hong Kong, Hong Kong City Hall, 16th & 17th August, 2016

[Do bear with me for a rather long review!]

Cio-cio San: Nancy Yuen (16 Aug), Louise Kwong (17 Aug)

Pinkerton: Adam Diegel

Sharpless: Corey Mckern

Fujian Symphony Orchestra

Opera Hong Kong Chorus

Warren Mok (Producer)

Tsung Yeh (Conductor)

Pamela Recinella (Director)

As one of Giacomo Puccini’s masterpieces, Madama Butterfly has captured the hearts of many in the past century with the heart-breaking story and moving music; and has become a staple in the operatic repertoire across the world.  The recent Opera Hong Kong offering of a semi-staged version was on the whole convincing and well-received, with a full house of audience on both nights.

Nancy Yuen and Louise Kwong, who shared the demanding title role of Cio-cio San on different nights, were undoubtedly the highlights of the performances.  With Cio-cio San being her signature role for over two decades across the world, Yuen impressed the audience as soon as she appeared with the dulcet tones at a high tessitura singing of her joys to be married to Pinkerton.  However, as the performance went on, one could not help but notice the huge contrast between the two registers of her voice.  Whilst the ringing head tone was particularly projected, the chest tones sounded coarse, which took away from the performance. 

Yuen’s rich experience of the character undeniably helped bring across the character confidently with crisp and clear diction. Having said that, Yuen is perhaps more used to fully staged versions, and the present semi-staged setting proved to be a slight hindrance to her acting.  She collaborated well with Carol Lin, who was Suzuki; and their “Flower Duet” was well-balanced and appropriately joyful. 

On the following night, Kwong gave a powerful rendition of Cio-cio San as an innocent, hopelessly in love, yet stubborn 15-year-old Japanese girl and was applauded the moment she started singing.  The faith in Pinkerton Kwong conveyed, the desperation when talking about her son, the outpour of emotions when singing the line “has he forgotten me?”, and the exhilaration when she saw the return of Pinkerton’s ship drew the audience into Cio-cio San’s own emotional world.  One could almost feel her heartbreak. 

She also impressively made the pianissimo top B and C sound as if they were effortless to sing.  The unified tone across her vocal range when singing the famed “Un Bel Di” and the intensity she invested in it made it very touching. 

However, on the whole, Kwong’s diction could be clearer which would help communicate with the audience.  At one point, she also gave off an impression of a mistake in blocking when asking Pinkerton whether people in the West pin up butterflies in her singing.  In any case, it was overall an excellent first performance as Cio-cio San for Kwong.

Generally speaking, the Fujian Symphony Orchestra and the conductor Tusng Yeh did a fantastic job not only in accompanying the singers but also in providing drive and support to the emotions of the storyline.  For example, the opening entries were tight and clear, which gives the opera the urgency needed.  The “humming chorus” in the orchestra when Sharpless read Cio-cio San Pinkerton’s letter was very delicately played.  Throughout the performances, the orchestra set the scenes well with the underlying uneasiness and tension that has been building up for the audience before the anagnorisis of Cio-cio San that Pinkerton never intended to move back to Nagasaki for good. 

On the other hand, there were occasional balance problems, which was exacerbated by the very projected voice of Pinkerton’s.  His voice made other singers seemed relatively quiet at points, in particular the trio shared among Pinkerton, Sharpless and Suzuki towards the end of the opera.  The conductor turned around rather frequently, which occasionally helped to rescued the singers and orchestra from being out of sync.  However, the high frequency of turning back and forth was distracting and unnecessary from the audience’s point of view. 

Although the chorus played a relatively small part in the opera, their voices were well-blended and the difficult “humming chorus” which requires singers to hum on a high B-flat was well-executed. Credits to the Chorus Director Alex Tam. 

Directed by Pamela Recinella, the staging was perhaps the most disappointing part of the two shows.  It must be pointed out that it was very baffling for the audience that the costume of Prince Yomodori resembled a Chinese magua from the Qing Dynasty or the early Republic days.  The choice of the child actor was neither blue-eyed nor blonde, as stated in the libretto, which was also rather confusing.  The audience was pleasantly surprised when Cio-cio San and the train of ladies, as well as Sharpless, made their entrances from the back.  Yet, it looked bizarre and unnatural when the chorus members took out flower petals from their trouser pockets to strew the way for Cio-cio San.  It felt that they could at least do with a basket.  Their white faces also looked slightly eerie.  The female family members of Cio-cio San (As shown in the picture) who had several lines of solo had their straight hair down which did not fit the rest of the cast, especially that of Cio-cio San’s and Suzuki’s which were done up nicely in Japanese style; and this could have been easily solved by YouTube hairstyle tutorials. 

Nevertheless, the effective use of simple lighting on a very limited stage for the cast helped to bring the story across.  The various light changes conveyed the time of the setting (e.g. morning after Cio-cio San’s long overnight wait for Pinkerton) or the emotions (red lights for the Bonze’s fury).  The change in furniture from tatami to an iron-wrought bed, and Japanese style to Western style coffee tables and chairs was also a clear symbol for Cio-cio San’s changes to “an American home”. 

Corey Mckern’s Sharpless (Far right) stood out among the cast.  As the American Consul, he had been very concerned about Cio-cio San’s fate from the start.  His warm tone and sincere acting granted the character a calming and compassionate personality which touched the audience.  Adam Diegel’s Pinkerton delivered the difficult passages with much sensitivity.  The comfortable high notes and the projected lower ranged in a clear tone were a pleasure to listen to.  However, his acting did not quite match up to the level of singing and it felt slightly awkward at points. 

To a large extent, the performance ran smoothly, but not without several hiccoughs.  On the second night, when Goro introduced Suzuki, the cook and butler to Pinkerton, none of the three were on stage.  The orchestra and singers on stage came to a short pause before Suzuki appeared on stage to continue with the opera.  There were also camera noises of the official photographer throughout the two performances, and was especially audible at quiet parts, such as the introduction to the “humming chorus”.  This could be resolved by having pictures taken at the dress rehearsal and could avoid distracting the audience from appreciating the show.

To sum up, the two performances were of high standard in terms of music with the singers and players, but there is perhaps room for improvement for staging, even when in a semi-staged setting, as well as other organisational aspects.  We look forward to Opera Hong Kong’s upcoming Otello by Verdi for more delights and surprises for the audience. 

Photo credits: Opera Hong Kong Facebook Page

Review - National Youth Choir of Great Britain and Cantoría Hong Kong, Academic Community Hall of Hong Kong Baptist University, 13 August 2016

Hymn to St Cecilia (Britten)
Where does the uttered music go? (Walton)
Three Shakespeare Songs (Vaughan Williams)
Who we are (Andrew)
Se tu mi lassi (Monteverdi)
Ecco mormorar l'onde (Monteverdi)
Trois Chansons de Charles d'Orleans (Debussy)
Unicornis Captivatur (Gjeilo)
May Magnificat (Mathias)
Hard by a crystal fountain (Morley)
The lady Oriana (Wilbye)
As Vesta was (Weelkes)
Alleluia (Rose)
3 Chinese folksongs from 'Half Moon Rising'
Star of the County Down (Traditional, arr. Parry)
Encore: The Gallant Weaver (MacMillan)

Cantoría Hong Kong
National Youth Choir of Great Britain (NYCGB)
Dominic Lam (Conductor)
John Winzenburg (Conductor)
Greg Beardsell (Conductor)
Ben Parry (Conductor)

This summer all in a sudden several reputable choirs from UK gave the city a choral treat every few weeks with varieties in repertoire. The NYCGB performance was highly impressive in many ways and breaking the traditional mode of choral singing to an extent. It was welcoming to see them collaborated with highly competent choral singers from local university even under limited rehearsal time. Despite the auditorium acoustic slightly dry and not that resonate, the singing from the nearly eighty strong choir filled the space effectively.

A rich body of sound from the sopranos began Britten's Hymnn to St Cecilia with vigour. Vowels were surprisingly homogenous and bright. Rhythmically precise in the tongue twisting scherzo part and diction was still clear. Solos at the fugue were technically capable and integrated into an effective dialogues. Though I felt Ben Parry should demonstrate the phrasing in his conducting than merely signalling entries and rhythmic counting. His approach resulted in a more vertical reading of the score that not always produce the music direction. A dramatic rendition of Walton's 'Where does the uttered music go?' from the tender opening up to the harmonically rich conclusion. The unified vowels and good intonation sustained a clear harmonic structure throughout. Greg Beardsell was slightly exaggerated with his conducting posture but managed to keep the music flowing.

I felt the Three Shakespeare Songs by Vaughan Williams were more suitable with Ben Parry's conducting in compare to the Britten. Parts were balanced in the 'ding-dong' passage of the first movement and maintained good intonation throughout. The stillness, tenderness and harmonic richness of the lower range were vividly produced in the second movement. The last movement could benefit by a swifter tempo for a dramatic conclusion than merely steady. I generally dislike or not too interest in repetitive music, but adding the visual aspects enhanced my appreciation of Kerry Andrew's Who we are. Tribal dance like choreography and using hand gestures gave a physical musical expression than just a conventional stand still singing posture, but still equally sophisticated and intriguing presentation of the music.

Inevitably, Cantoría Hong Kong had a lot to live up after such a strong start, and their singing was fairly presentable despite a smaller group and varied technical ability. They gave a polished and pleasant account of the Monteverdi madrigals alike one experienced at choral evensong. It would be better if the vowels could sustain longer and unify, adopt a quicker tempo and has more direction in the singing. Tenors sometimes lacked vocal body in their singing that affected the support of energy in sustaining the momentum. Intonation improved and better ensembleship in Debussy's chansons with reinforcement from the NYCGB fellowship octet, but diction occasionally sounded more Latin than French. Alto solo had a beautiful timbre with the right colour and projection at the intimate second movement. A slightly messy entrance of the third movement but rectified for a dramatic conclusion with good musical phrasing. The ensemble sounded more at home in Latin during Gjeilo's Unicornis Captivatur, and sopranos' singing were more flexible to shape the music. They successfully built up the momentum from the tender opening towards the first climatic 'alleluia'. Though the produced tone in the second section was not always radiant and tenors sometimes risking to go flat. Tempo also dragged along and the built up from lower voices seems lacking direction until the final alleluia for the energetic coda.

I had not come across William Mathia's The May Magnificat until this highly convincing performance by NYCGB and what a discovery. Harmonically complex with a muscular bright tone throughout. The first choir sang the colourful English text alternated with the second in Latin. The full choir again displayed itself as a highly disciplined body with rhythmic precision, sustained the vocal energy throughout and observed the dynamic contrast faithfully. Diction was bright and homogenous to let the music to ring in a radiant sound. In turn, a chamber choir was formed with lesser members without conductor to sing the first Elizabethan madrigal of the evening by Morley. Voices blended together with the desired vocal support and volume, also there were thoughts in place to phrase the music meaningfully. A septet followed to sing Willbye's madrigal but took time to warm up their voices and adjusted before complimenting each other. Sopranos were pushing the pitch very sharp and even overpowering in the third madrigal as tribute to the monarch by Weelkes. Though never feel too heavy even the full choir involved and rarely a big group could sound so well in polyphony works.

Alleluia by James Rose sounded rather similar to the compositional style of Gabriel Jackson for bright long vowel and illuminated sound landscape. The full choir and octet successfully in built up gradually the long wordless crescendo up to the ultimate climax. Very bright vowels again in the Chinese folksongs but I did not find the words easy to identify. Good momentum and intonation even the tempo was on the broad side. There was a sense of proudness when Star of the County Down was sung, also the group loosen up allowing the music to swing. An emotional and tender closing was chosen instead to finish the superlative evening with a Scottish fervour by MacMillan's The Gallant Weaver. The sweet melody was given a twist and as ever the choir maintained good intonation in the final conclusion. 

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