Saturday 10th April, 1999 Victoria Concert Hall |
Singapore Symphony Orchestra Great Classics Series |
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Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Fidelio Overture, op.72a Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Concerto in C for Flute & Harp, K299 Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Symphony No.5 in C-minor, op.67
JIN Ta flute |
OVERALL NOISE RATING:
4 (Couple of girls in front making a lot of
noise, kept standing up, imitating the harpist and conductor, having lots of fun at the expense of our enjoyment. Not only distracted those around them but kept standing up. Parents, should you bring your children to concerts make sure that they are not heard and better yet not seen.)
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
by Johann D'Souza and Derek Lim
Kamu’s Beethoven has always been energetic, forceful yet never filled with over-dramatics. I have noted that he has always led the orchestra in strict metronomic time which is how I like my Beethoven played. His conducting is never marred by stretching tempi which are either too slow or too fast.
The beginning of the Fidelio Overture was uncharacteristically slightly shaky, with the horn introduction coming in a fraction slow - but the short 8-minute work was soon on its way and the brass responded with increasing strength and vitality. The strings, especially the cellos and double basses were seen to be in better form than usual and this was evidently clear in the Symphony which was to follow. Interaction between sections was polished with the woodwinds coming across clearly in intonation. This was Beethoven’s only full opera; I feel Kamu was able to show the splendour of the composer's composition, giving the audience the feeling of hearing the beginning of a great work.
Kamu kept the orchestra under control so that both instruments could be given their own leeway and pride of place. While there were points where I felt that the harp could not be heard clearly, there were times when the required fluency and clarity was clearly evident, especially in the second and third movements. The latter was however slightly marred at the beginning as the orchestra raced off just before Kamu pulled back the reins. One particular section of this concerto which has always been a joy to listen to is the cadenza: once again both players did not try to overshadow each other with their virtuosic dexterity; instead, but it was here that their ensemble work was clearly manifested. The pedal was appropriately used in the third movement to accentuate the runs.
As an encore, the audience was pleasantly treated with "The Swan" from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns. Once again Jin Ta and Elisabeth Wooster produced a stunningly personal and introspective reading of the arrangement. I do hope that the SSO’s organizing committee will include more works for multiple solo instruments done by our orchestral players in the coming seasons. - Johann D'Souza
Okko Kamu has a style in conducting Beethoven which seems to me unique in several senses: in his rhythmic precision and tempi he apparently belongs to the Classical School, but he has ideas of conducting which seem as Romantic as one gets. Tonight's performance of the Fifth was one of great energy, but in places the sheer metronomic precision of his conducting lacked a plasticity of short-term rubato which makes for truly great conducting. He chose rather to place emphasis on certain linking passages working up to the climaxes, by accelerating them in a deliberate manner. I didn't agreed with everything he did. For example right from the start I would have preferred a longer pause after the two "Knocks on the door", which effectively sign-post the movement. In choosing such quick tempi, I found the reading of the first movement rather tempestuous, but undermined by a rather limited dynamic range from the orchestra (I was sitting in row I). Still the effect was there, though this was no heaven-storming stuff. The oboe solo was well-played, as can be expected by now of the SSO principal.
The second movement was in comparison with the first, not as well-done. At first Kamu chose a tempo which was more Andante than Andante con moto, and he chose to make the cello melody at the beginning a little gehaltend, or hesitating. The first few variations went well enough, with bridging passages well-executed. Later the inevitability of Beethoven's writing didn't seem to materialise, for me. My main problem was that he employed a single tempo and stuck to it for many variations, whereas a more fluid reading might have worked better. Again, a personal opinion.
The third and fourth movements were taken at a rather quick tempo altogether, with the furtive cello melody at the beginning played a tempo each time, even the first, so it acts rather like a ritornello. I found the reading of these movements as a whole rather fast and muscular. Other details, are of course my own preference. For example the last movement is marked "Allegro". Compared to the opening Allegro con brio (incidentally mispelt as "Allegro con bria" in the programme notes, twice), perhaps a more majestic, broader tempo for the entry of the trombones would have been more effective. After all this was the first time Beethoven (and anybody) ever used trombones in a symphony, and afterall the Fifth is most special in that it was one of the first "Finale" symphonies, where the Finale took the highest amount of precedence in the work. I would have preferred more underlining. Overall this was a cogently presented Beethoven's Fifth, despite Kamu's personal touches, in a manner which was not so much better than the routine, considering the importance of this work. Surely the Fifth deserves much better than that? - Derek Lim
Derek Lim is currently examining chamber music while Johann D'Souza is en-chambered in his studies for exams.
After attending concerts by two foreign conductors in the past two weeks, Péter Erdei in the all-Dvorak program and Keith Lockhart last week in the all-Russian concert – I have to say that the SSO was once again true to form under the guidance of Okko Kamu (left) as well. Kamu is definitely instilling a presence in the orchestra and together with Shui Lan, the SSO is now slowly forging ahead to be the premier orchestra on this side of the globe. In a program of war-horses the familiarity of the composers and works saw a packed audience filling up perhaps 95% of the hall.
It is always nice to see our own orchestral players team up to play in concertos. I have never heard the flute and harp concerto 'live' before so this was truly a treat. Jin Ta seemed to be the more relaxed of the two, opting to play without score; Elizabeth Wooster, dressed in a beautiful pink silk gown, seemed a bit nervous in the opening bars but gradually settled down. The combination was definitely a winner - both players played deliciously together and truly deserve their pride of place as leaders for their instruments with the SSO.
With his comfortable composure, Jin Ta produced a very lean and clear tone. High registers were clear and his phrasing was always well-sculptured. Trills and ornaments were on occasion slightly muffled or unclear but this was made up with his good understanding with his fellow soloist.
Left: portrait of Beethoven, by
Prof. Carl Jäger (date unknown).
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453: 12.4.1999 ©Johann D'Souza & Derek Lim
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