The Singapore Festival of Arts 1998
Wednesday |
St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra |
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NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Coq d'or (The Golden Cockerel) Suite (1906-7) SERGEI RACHMANINOV Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini, op.43 (1934) SERGEI RACHMANINOV Symphony No.2 in E minor, op.27 (1906-8) Encores: FRANZ SCHUBERT movement from Moments musicaux, D780 (arr. orchestra) PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Arabian Dance from the Nutcracker Suite
BELLA DAVIDOVICH piano |
OVERALL NOISE RATING: 3 (Generally an attentive crowd, with still the odd pagers going off . When will they ever learn - do they have to be reminded each time they go to a concert?)
The Noise Rating Index is a partially-objective measurement of pager and handphone blasts, 9pm and 10pm watch beeps, coughing-during-the-pianissimo-bits, intra-audience conversation and other mind-bogglingly inept noises emitted in the concert hall during actual performance of music. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 5, in increasing annoyance.
Arts Fest 1998 tickets for Inkpot classical music reviewers have been kindly sponsored by the National Arts Council.
by Johann D'Souza
When I was first told about the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the first thing that came to my mind was that it was Rachmaninov's orchestra - the orchestra that premiered his early concertos and symphonies. It was like going back in time to actually hear both the Second Symphony (the most famous and most interesting) and his Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini both on a single night.
Formally known as the Leningrad Symphony, the Orchestra boasts famous past directors as Glazunov, Koussevitsky, Klemperer, Kleiber and not forgetting the legendary Evgeny Mravinsky, who held the reins for almost 50 years. In 1988, when Mravinsky died, Yuri Temirkanov was appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestra.
Rimsky-Korsakov (right) is distinctly Russian, with compositions that draw from the musical "exoticism" reminiscent of Nationalistic flavours. Most of us at the Inkpot have always said that you need to have a Russian to play Russian music - and once again I am convinced that it is true and not just speculation. Temirkanov not only delivers the music with energy and understanding but captures the true spirit which is essential in these "Russian" pieces.
The colour from the strings was fascinating; there were clear distinctions of what a mezzo-forte and a forte should sound like. I was also beginning to wonder if the seating arrangement of the orchestra had anything to do with the sound projection. With the bass and cellos on the left of the conductor next to the First Violins, Temirkanov seemed to have better control of timbre. His unusual hand gestures, for example to indicate triplets from the clarinet by the flickering of his fingers, was also a joy to watch. The gradual crescendo ff towards the tutti at the finish was clearly executed with an exactness you would expect only from an orchestra of such stature, yet all of this was taken with a calm disposition by the players.
Having had the privilege to study with Heinrich Neuhaus, also Richter's teacher, she is now a well-known pedagogue herself, possessing some of the nicest touch of tone for the piano. From the first chord of the "Paganini Rhapsody" to the last triplet in the last bar, I was mesmerized by her pedaling. Most of the old schools pay special attention to this. Her staccatos were clear and never mushy, with the colour produced in her running passages displaying great fluidity. In fact every major run was taken with authority and it is here that we see the true Russian spirit: the reckless abandon in which they play that make it so interesting. While even Rachmaninov struggled with this piece, Davidovich looked and sounded as if she was right at home.
Her concentration in the quieter variations together with the control given to her by the orchestra made it clear that she was a deeply introspective player. The 18th variation, widely known as the signature tune for this piece, was simply breathtaking and could have driven anyone to tears. I also feel that having played with the orchestra for some 28 seasons, Davidovich has this oneness with the orchestra which is hard to find. I have to admit that in all these years her playing has only matured more with age and the grace that has come with it will be remembered for a long time to come. The only consolation for me is the fact that I would be listening to her in two days' time playing the Schumann Piano Concerto. (Hm... I hope she plays an encore. ...she didn't.)
After the interval, I was happy to finally hear the Rachmaninov Symphony No.2 in E minor, which I had waited to hear "live" for a long time. In fact part of the rich history of the St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra was the premiere of this work, with Rachmaninov conducting. Glazunov premiered the First Symphony, conducted it in a drunken stupor, and ruined it. Thus the Second Symphony, like his Second Piano Concerto, had a greater significance to Rachmaninov, who sought to regain his confidence as a composer and the approval of the listening audience.
The phrasing in the first movement was beautiful, with the clarinet taking on some distinctive roles which Temirkanov was able to exploit. This work has many parts that are very reminiscent of his other works, with snippets of orchestration taken and inspired from elswhere. Eg. the crashing of the cymbals taken from the third movement of the Second Concerto and many parts featuring what seems like extensions of parts of the Isles of the Dead. The St.Petersburg, with its clear and polished playing, was attentive to Temirkanov's conducting and it was interesting to watch him as a conductor because of the manner he used his eye and finger gestures to get the attention of the orchestral players. Their timing was always in check and never rushing off the pace.
The encores were equally interesting: a movement from the Moments musicaux ("Musical Moments") by Schubert arranged for orchestra. Tthis was conducted by Temirkanov's fingers and eyes, which he also directed to the crowd and gave funny gestures - he was really enjoying himself! After more shouts of "bravo" he obliged with the last encore, the "Arabian Dance" from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, conducted with great authority.
It was a night to behold and I left the concert hall full of energy.
From the opening bars of the Suite from Rimsky-Korsakov's last opera, The Golden Cockerel, you just knew you were put in the hands of a world-class orchestra. The brass displayed a clear resonance and clarity from where I was seated, in row Q, clear as ever. Yuri Temirkanov has the stature and looks of Leonard Bernstein and prefers to conduct with his hands and fingers instead of a baton. (Surprisingly, this is the second world-class conductor that I have seen in recent weeks that uses his hand gestures so effectively - the other being Kurt Masur of the NYPO).
The guest soloist for the evening was Bella Davidovich (left - this is not a recent photograph...), the 1949 First Prize winner at the Chopin Competition - one of the most famous of all piano competitions. While she must be well into her sixties, I have often felt that the Russian schools produce players of great longevity. Davidovich and the legendary Sviatoslav Richter come from the same area of Baku in the Soviet Union, and she displayed true virtuosity worthy of her late predecessor.
Temirkanov gives you this impression that he is playing to you - the only person in the hall. He captured the essence of the suffering that Rachmaninov was going through with his control of the strings and the cellos in the opening sequence of the 1st movement. The Dies Irae theme which haunted Rachmaninov (left) throughout his whole life was very evident. The composer had reached a higher plane in his orchestration with the use of the brass - I can only suspect he must have learnt from Tchaikovsky's orchestration.
In the last movement, Temirkanov was particularly interesting to watch, especially when the fanfares had to come in on his cue in the fourth movement. These were executed with total preciseness and a level of restraint before being unleashed. I think what makes this a world-class orchestra is its ability to play with oneness and mutual inspiration, together with guidance from its conductor. I particularly loved the ending with the crashing cymbals and the rush up to the final tutti, all ending to shouts of "bravo!" from the audience.
Johann D'Souza has been enjoying himself listening to Rachmaninov in the day, attending concerts in the evening and watching football into the wee hours of the morning... he feels he is already in heaven.
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