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Saturday 18 November, 1998 Victoria Concert Hall |
CONCERTO KÖLN Presented by the Goethe Institute, Singapore |
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ANTONIO ROSETTI (1750-1792) Symphony in B major JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809) Concerto for Harpsichord and orchestra in D major JOSEPH MARTIN KRAUS (1756-1792) Olympie Overture WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791) Symphony No.40 in G minor, KV550
Encores
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OVERALL NOISE RATING:
1 (A quiet and appreciative audience)
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.
Tickets for the Flying Inkpot was kindly sponsored by the Goethe
Institute of Singapore. Special thanks goes to Stephanie and the Chinese lady at the reception.
by Ng Yeuk Fan
I must admit that I was still deciding whether to go or not... given
that I was not a particular fan of Haydn, and that composers like
Rosetti and Kraus were totally unknown to me. However, I knew that my
'companion' who had a special love for the horn would find the 'ancient'
horns played without valves all the more fascinating. Further, I had
earlier reviewed Mozart's Horn Concertos played on Raoux copies and this timely visit by the Concerto Köln playing on authentic instruments gave me a chance to watch these horns at work. The modern horn is itself notoriously difficult to play and the playing of these valveless horns must surely be quite a sight to watch.
As I sat down in my seat, I was dismayed to find that the harpsichord
was going to block my view of the horns. Additionally, I noticed that
the music stands were at full height - these musicians were going to
play standing. It didn't quite make sense to me at first, but as soon
as the music-making started - never mind that I couldn't see the horns -
what I heard and saw, were bodies who were involved in the very
active task of making the music come alive. I realised a tremendous
difference immediately - compared to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra which
was playing here a fortnight ago (reviewed here), read this - there was no disparity
between what I saw and what I heard.
In their manifold experiences, names like Andreas Staier, Renè Jacobs,
Philippe Herreweghe and Frans Brüggen read frequently among their
musical collaborations. Together, they have rediscovered the music of
many forgotten composers like Arriaga, Pons, Moreno, Boccherini,
Brunetti, Locatelli and two, which are featured tonight - Antonio
Rosetti and Joseph Martin Kraus. Now, after more than two decades, the
Concerto Köln has become synonymous with a particular kind of music-
making - and it is this unique kind that I was privileged to experience tonight.
These musicians have immaculate mastery of their instruments. From my point of view, I was constantly amazed by the playing of the cello and
the double basses, who bowed away with so much gusto that it was instantly
infectious. I found my heart beating faster together with the music.
I must make special mention of the leader Werner Ehrhardt,
whose clearly back-breaking job is not one for musicians with weak
knees. He was instrumental in conveying small little nuances of
phrasing and tempo through his meticulously conceived cues from his
violin. He showed so much interest in the musicians around the stage
that he was constantly communicating with them through his body
language. There was one point, that in an idealistic sort of way, I was
sure that Mr Ehrhardt was positively looking worried during the
difficult solo passages of the Harpsichord Concerto.
The Concerto Köln's fast tempos fully captured the wit and
intelligence of Rosetti. This is fast music, very fast, definitely not
for the slow-witted. The double bass runs in the first movement were
nothing short of shocking - one wonders why Rosetti has become so unheard
given that his music was so much ahead of his time.
The entire orchestra handled volume changes through stylistic feel alone, no one was really directing but the dynamic changes just occurred. Impressive! The syncopated accents were put to great use in the third movement - they were very effective and one can hear the raw energy of the
orchestra. I felt the woodwind section not sufficiently blending and
the execution was slightly messy in the Trio section, but the Finale was
power-packed and Rosetti's immaculate scoring amazed me. The Concerto Köln
was most convincing in its attempt to rediscover forgotten composers; With certainty, I will be seeking out this Symphony the next time I am
in the shops.
Haydn's Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra featured Gerald Hambitzer
as the soloist. Hambitzer was a tad too strict for this flamboyant
Haydn concerto and I felt that more interpretative license could be
taken here. However, Hambitzer's choice was consistently scholarly and
very classical indeed. Though he was far from note-perfect, clearly
struggling at the most difficult parts in all three movements, he
nevertheless managed a convincing reading backed by a sympathetic
orchestra. There was no conductor here too - and indeed, all the
orchestral lead-ins were precise and Haydn's surprises were made all the
more animated.
At 24, he was
elected a member of the Swedish Academy of Music and in 1788 became the
chief conductor of the Court Orchestra in Stockholm. As a composer,
Kraus' greatest work is his opera Aeneas i Carthago. Further,
his Mannheim training and his many travels gave his music a cosmopolitan
outlook - together with the rich harmony, there are hints of early
Romanticism in his music.
These are evident in his Olympie Overture, which opened the second half of the concert. The work was characteristically well-played, and I am surprised that the orchestra is capable of sounding dark despite the authentic instruments. The effective division of the 1st and 2nd violin parts, which opened the Allegro ma non troppo section, is remarkable for the prominence given to the second violins and showcased some very imaginative playing.
Mozart's popular G minor Symphony, No.40, opened with undercurrents of suspense,
helped by the violins sounding very eerie - a sense of palpable fear
could almost be felt. The orchestra made good use of the repeated
opening motif, building on each one but never quite unleashing into full
terror. Ensemble-work was incisive to the point of biting; the sound
was clean, even, and warmer than most period instrument orchestras.
The Concerto Köln's interpretation of this symphony was alive,
breathing and evolved almost on its own. Driven by the music, the
musicians had no choice but to 'dance' and move on stage, each doing
their own bit - the tempos pressed and excitement building - it was
like an overdrive, only that this was a musical overdrive. Clearly
drenched in sweat, the leader was unrelenting and the music was
pulsating along. He exchanged smiles around the stage with his fellow
members and in the audience I could only smile in understanding of the
magic of spontaneous music-making.
This suspension of reality continued straight into the two encore
pieces, which was downright virtuosic for the first Mozart and silky
tender and sweet for the second Mozart - an Andantino from one of
Mozart's early serenades (which we have yet to identify). The latter, complete with its perfumed pizzicato (I swear I smelled roses during their playing) was played with a Romantic sorcery that I will never forget.
It is a pity that the audience did not give a standing ovation to the
Concerto Köln, whose performance on Wednesday night was short in nothing,
except a proper accolade. Never mind also that I couldn't see the horns... I'll make sure I sit at the right place the next time.
The Concerto Köln (left) was founded in 1985 by a group of Early Music experts - all specialised in performing on period (another name for "ancient" or "authentic") instruments. Their credo is team spirit and together, they challenge themselves to rediscover the orchestral and operatic literatures of the 17th to 19th centuries on the basis of historical performing practice.
The concert began with the most well-known work of the Bohemian composer
Antonio Rosetti (1750-1792), his Symphony in B major. Rosetti's
prolific compositional life undertook many orchestral and chamber works,
characterised by captivating melodies, imaginative orchestration, rich
harmonies, finely wrought motivic structures and cleverly employed
counterpoint. Though Rosetti (right) was known to have considered Haydn as a
model during his life, his contemporaries ranked him with his more famous contemporary as well as Mozart.
Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1792) was described by Haydn as one of the
greatest geniuses whom he had ever encountered. Like Mozart, this long
forgotten composer from Miltenberg in Franconia (Germany) was born in
1756 and only survived Mozart by one year. Kraus (left) served in the court of
Gustavus III of Sweden, who had at that time assembled in Stockholm a
collection of the greatest artists from all over Europe and there, the
talented Kraus achieved success despite his young age.
Ng Yeuk Fan does not play ping-pong, because ping-pong is too fast for him.
But fast music is not a problem - if it is well-played, and convincing.
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