Thursday 27th May, 1999 Victoria Concert Hall |
Great Classics Series |
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Antonin DVORAK Scherzo Cappricioso, op.66 Karol SYMANOWSKI Violin Concerto No.1, op.35 Piotr Illyich TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.5 in E minor, op.64
Pierre AMOYAL violin |
OVERALL NOISE RATING:
1 (buzzing hum appeared to be coming from camera or cameraman)
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 Chia Han-Leon
The following is an expanded version of the review in Life! The Straits Times, May 29 (for same Thursday concert).
Whether the poignancy of this situation mattered or not, Amoyal delivered the work with noble presence and understanding. "The identity of [the concerto's] inspiration is not clear" he added, "... [it is] very inspired by French Impressionism, but also [something of the] Romantic." Though the concerto has many passages of hypnotic beauty for the soloist, it is more symphonic fantasy (or as Amoyal offered, "more symphonic poem with violin concertante") than virtuoso/showy concerto. As such, communicating this work to an unfamiliar audience has its challenges. Chiefly, I think the violinist needs to hold the attention with his presence, since there aren't any big tunes to speak of in the Polish composer's concerto.
The Strad's intense "woody" tone matched those of the woodwind, shadowing Amoyal in the chamber-like sections towards the end. There is a spot when Souptel alone seems to trail the soloist - this was done to ghostly effect. When left alone in his masterfully crafted cadenza, Amoyal drew a sumptiously seasoned tone, commanding and expressive. Otherwise, all praise to Shui Lan for his unobstrusive direction of the superbly nuanced accompaniment, wrought with discipline.
With such an instrument and skill, I thought, if only Amoyal could play some Bach! And much to my delight he did, encoring the Sarabande from the Partita in D minor. It was utterly graceful, as befits this gracious gentleman, ending with a perfect diminuendo.
The SSO, sporting a new auditioning principal cello (purportedly from a nearby other orchestra...), played through Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony with an unfazed confidence I have rarely seen, which married well with the "risky" tone of the composer's defiant music.
His direction was pointed and yet maintained great flexibility in the changing music. The same was done for Dvorak's Scherzo Capriccioso, which came across vibrantly. Here, the music sprang with life. Shui Lan produced a neat "swing" in the Bohemian dance music, as he would playfully mould the lyrical Valse of the symphony with formal elegance and a touch of humour. The Dvorak could do with more kick (as some would probably say for their Tchaikovsky), but I enjoyed the lush mode the SSO used. Technically not perfect (that tricky horn whoop), but very enjoyable; Dvorak as vibrant as it should be.
The SSO responded with fine balance and articulation in the Tchaikovsky - it was wonderful to see and hear the different sections interacting so clearly in what I often consider to be music more bombastic than symphonic. Even their silences, the general pauses, in the Andante cantabile were deafening. In their hands this movement demonstrated how the music develops more through mood rather than through theme. From the radiant gloom of the opening to the moving melancholia of the horn, then the wistful oboe, the cellos' song on to the loud climax - the sequence was handled with persuasive unity.
I don't care that there were technical errors in the performance - the orchestra played with a genuine sense of risk-taking, so important in this exciting music. They made the Hong Kong Philharmonic the previous night (even with Shostakovich) seemed too polite and polished by comparison. Hurtling away to the triumphant conclusion, the SSO appeared absorbed yet suffused with exhilaration. This kind of controlled spontaneity is rare, and is a joy to behold.
Chia Han-Leon patiently awaits next season's programme... he bets there'll be some Richard Strauss and maybe - just maybe - even some Bach.
Renowned French violinist Pierre Amoyal explained before his performance that one of the reasons he chose to play the rarely heard Szymanowski ("She-ma-NOV-ski") Violin Concerto No.1 (written in 1916) was that he would be presenting it on the instrument it was composed on and for - the "Kochanski" Stradivarius, dated 1717. Even the cadenza was written by the work's dedicatee, Pawel Kochanski, on this violin. It is a work with "many many beautiful tunes", he said, but which is not popular.
This Amoyal achieved with his compelling calmness on stage. His presence lay in the way he seems to know exactly what he wants, and the Strad responds with the kind of intensely smooth, coloured tone some of these instruments are well-known for. The result is like listening to a philosopher talk about his subject from reflex and memory. While Shui Lan skillfully kept the SSO in pace, Amoyal kept one's attention with his vivid line, ebbing in and out of the orchestra smoothly. If the orchestra seemed just a touch too detached sometimes, it may have actually helped the music, with its half-ghostly, "fantastic" atmosphere with violin soaring above.
The first movement was flowing and dynamic - never indulgent, well-controlled yet so musical. My congratulations to Shui Lan, who showed that he knew exactly what he was doing with every single gesture. His flamboyant style may have been in high gear, and yet everything he did made sense, from the simple hand wave to the sway of the body, to his outpour of energy at the music. In the Dvorak Scherzo Capriccioso, you could see him conducting with almost his entire body, but no longer indulgently so as he sometimes did in the past. Upper arm, shoulder, hair-shaking, podium-thumping and that little skip and dance - somehow he kept it just right this time. And there is no better proof than the way the SSO responded to him.
After opening the stately Andante maestoso with dignified patience, the SSO raced off in the finale with superb flow. Even the brass didn't blare out, but richly complemented the string colours. To my great admiration, the musicians produced a reading that was lean, with smooth but driving momentum, rather than the bellowing and big-boned interpretations more commonly encountered. This style is more than a little reminiscent of Shui Lan's way with Beethoven - whether you fancy that is a matter of taste. I find the Tchaikovsky better this way - lean and mean.
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488: 3.6.1999 ©Chia Han-Leon
Readers' Comments
From: Kwok Wye (chlok1@mbox3.singnet.com.sg / Friday, June 4, 1999 at 21:46:28)
Han-Leon, or anybody present at the Thursday concert: Remember after the Tchaikovsky symphony 1st movement, there was this fellow (should be a child)in the stalls who yawned so loudly? How rude.
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