OVERALL NOISE RATING: 3 (I don't blame the little girls. I blame their parents for bringing them.)

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.

This review has been kindly sponsored by the Singapore Symphonia Co. Ltd

Well, that must have been the mellowest rendition of the Coriolan Overture I've ever heard. I was rather surprised that Beethoven could be made to sound so honey-smooth. Though the Hong Kong Philharmonic clearly showcased the ability of their individual sections to play with great precision and skill, I found that the blank picture they drew of Coriolan ("...a shattering piece, and it shows how Beethoven's power of expression was becoming ever more concentrated" - goes the notes) totally lacked any kick. In fact, despite the polished playing, I felt that the shortage of drama broke down any sense of cohesion.

Japanese-American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers is one of those soloist names who are known by many, but to whom full-fledged fame remains elusive. I have known of her for many years, but have never heard her, either 'live' or on CD. So, I was very curious to see how she would perform a work which, similarly, I have known since my teens.

The first impression was of her sweet and really very solid tone, with an immediate strength of utterance. As she would demonstrate in her cadenza, her intonation is very clean and pure throughout every register. For a Mendelssohn concerto, this is ideal, bringing out the lyrical material and also possessing the accuracy for the composer's trademark helter-skelter, scintillating string writing.

But, I felt that Ms Meyers' style wasn't quite right, at least to my tastes. Her tempo was very fast (and credit to the HKPO who followed her exactly); her phrasing is of the impulsively spurting-forward sort, intently and purposefully pushing forward the music. This is a boon in more "ferocious" concertos, but not one by a "classical-based Romantic" Mendelssohn. She consistently pulls legato notes into a straight full phrase, without dwelling or lingering on the line. This robs the music of its lyricism, as does her way of stretching out triplets briskly. I am tempted to say that there are spots of "cheating" too (blurred running phrases. Oops, I've said it) but I hesitate on account of her consistency - it would appear they were intentional. Still, I did hear many fast runs disappear in the finale.

But that the same style occasionally imparts certain passages with a very elegant "swing" into the melodies. And while I am suspicious of her legato phrasing, I found her staccato runs impressive. I am again tempted to say, after reflecting on this for a few days, that perhaps this mixture of qualities is responsible in part for Ms Meyer's "name without fame" situation. But that is another story.

Anyway, something of the classical detail of Mendelssohn's score is lost; on the other hand, something more Romantic is emphasised. There were points in the performance when the reading, including range of dynamics, became nervous in a Paganinian way - volatile. Conversely, any sign of grace in the lyrical music is overpowered by the strength of her style. She indulges in some heavy accenting in the finale which I found very uncomfortable. Perhaps visually cued by her rather Athenian frame and bare arms, I actually found the performance and style rather too "athletic" for my tastes. Watching her perform the work had the same effect on me as watching a sportswoman doing the high jump.

But there were some really beautiful moments, especially the quiet transition into the slow movement, which evoked a great contrast of mood. The cooperation between orchestra and soloist - credit to conductor David Atherton too - is a model of its kind. The HKPO, in much lusher and softer tone than the SSO, kept themselves perfectly unobstrusive, and kept in pace throughout. As I mentioned earlier, even when Ms Meyers stepped up the speed, the woodwinds could be heard admirably stacattoing up their gears to match her.

At the end of the performance, I wasn't too impressed. But perhaps I just like the old school of Mendelssohn Violin Concerto performance too much (think Arthur Grumiaux). One thing Adrian and I agreed without mutual consultation - she should have played the Tchaikovsky.

Adrian Tan writes... I hesitate to say that the Symphony was rendered in "English" style because that conjures in some of our minds a conservative, well-controlled style and sound. The sound of the HKPO transformed from that in the first half, to an extrovert almost "American" orchestral sound used for the Shostakovich. I may even venture to say that the orchestra was trying to imitate the grand tradition of Russian orchestras with their aggressive brass section. Continental associations aside, it sounded like a different orchestra from the first half. The Shostakovich Fifth Symphony is rather less angsty than some of his other "epic" symphonies, the composer's reaction to the repressive environment he was living in. Yet, there is a great deal of struggle in the work and it is one which ends in triumph. The biting sarcasm in the second movement was smoothed over with dry humour ("English"?) which did not work for me at all. The 3rd movement was intense and moving, where the HKPO exhibited its discipline and focus. These are admirable traits in this well-trained orchestra whose professionalism in music-making commands respect. The final movement was brilliantly executed. Conductor David Atherton opted for a very fast tempo (almost twice as fast) in the final bars, an interpretation associated with Leonard Bernstein. On whether the change is justified aside, it is consistent with the triumphal nature of the finale, and in my humble opinion, even more effective than the original tempo specified by Shostakovich. Atherton displays great sympathy with the music and a great deal of control over the orchestra. He demands a big sound, and allows the orchestra to deliver the most powerful climaxes but always holds a hand up in check of certain voices to keep the balance. This is the mark of a true conductor, especially in music such as this which can so easily be made to play to the stalls.

Shostakovich turned English in this concert. The performance was actually quite amazing - all that direct utterance, that perfectly clean articulation, the precision balance and the conductor's well-controlled pulse plus his simple and effective direction - it sure made for an excellent performance of the music. The well-toned brass in the opening movement made for some pleasing listening, as did the stunningly balanced passage with harp against viola and bass ostinato. Phrasing was marvellously together - that pizzicato interchange! - in the Allegretto, which I thought was the single most noteworthy movement where the HKPO displayed the full plethora of Shostakovich's detailed orchestration.

The discipline of the HKPO actually made me feel just a little ashamed of the SSO. Before the concert opened, for example, the orchestra filed in as a whole and tuned section by section in orderly, efficient fashion, turning the tune-up into a performance of courtesy for the audience. 24 hours later, I found myself back in the VCH, flinching at the horrendous cacophony the SSO was making on stage before Souptel stepped in.

Anyway, back to the HKPO... The progression of the slow movement during the Symphony was attentively sustained and highly concentrated, with transitions between sections displaying the orchestra's symphonic grasp (and I think performance familiarity) with the work. One thing about precision is that you can really capitalise on the multitude of colours Shostakovich draws from the orchestra, even sans brass. And of course, the pianissimos demanded in the score, as in the final bars the HKPO so eloquently delivered.

The ferocious finale was given a very orderly reading despite the breakneck tempo, with bright lucid colours. Somehow, the HKPO can achieve very precise production of specific tone colour. Its body of sound easily filled the concert hall without even reaching their loudest - a capacity for projection which the SSO still lacks.

But all this was just the music. I hardly heard Shostakovich at all. The orchestra generated tremendous volume and momentum, could be emotional and also poundingly militant when required. They are technically superior to the SSO, definitely, and they form a very reliable orchestra to conduct - even the trust placed by Atherton was palpable.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed the music vastly; but on reflection, Shostakovich just wasn't there. What is Shostakovichian music without Shostakovich's soul? Perhaps it's just me, perhaps it's just that the Fifth isn't the best example of Shostakovichian anguish. Like the opening Coriolan Overture, the orchestra played some very nice sounds, but painted no picture nor portrait. The Fifth is comparable to a Beethovenian struggle ending in triumph; viewed this way, as the victorious battle of some universal hero, the HKPO's performance is exemplary in a formal way.

For their final encore, the HKPO - very brave I must say - launched into Glinka's swirling Russlan and Ludmilla Overture. You could definitely see that the orchestra was tired, as they displayed just a tiny hint of breathlessness. But overall, it was a reading as exciting as the music is. We all agreed: they should have started the concert with this!

Hong Kong is a name Chia Han-Leon associates with "easier to find CDs".

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487: 1.6.1999. up.3.7.1999 ©Chia Han-Leon & Adrian Tan

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