Kremerata Baltica in Hong Kong

I am sure there's no classical music lover in Hong Kong who doesn't know Gidon Kremer.

That's why I can't understand why the Cultural Centre concert hall was just half-full earlier this month when he and his Kremerata Baltica gave a concert there.

Even the programme itself (apart from contemporary composer Šerkšnytė, whose name I have to use "copy and paste" function to put it correctly-spelt here) is not that scary or off-putting.

For example, minimalism devotee Arvo Part composed many easy-listening music which are chosen for many films as atmospheric background music, and his Fratres is perhaps one of his most popular and well-known piece that has many versions for different instruments and various ensembles. Its chant-like sacred melody on repetitive chord progressions may sound deceptively easy to play, however, the introductory segment with the rapid series of notes of the "dissected" chords played steadily by solo violin in gradual crescendo might already impose great technical challenge to any well-established violinist, not to mention some very high notes played by overtones and many multiple stops that need to be tackled later on. Besides the solo part, the sustain, the tone colour and dynamics of the Strings are also demanding as well, which need the utmost concentration from the members. However, the technical aspects aside, if played well and appropriately, this music is highly enjoyable and dauntingly beautiful, like what I experienced that evening.

The Fratres led perfectly into the next piece, the Midsummer Song by the relatively unknown contemporary composer I mentioned above. Though very new to me, the music was mostly atmospheric and was quite descriptive of the changes within the day of Summer Solace. It used various special techniques to create many sound effects on the strings, and members seem to be playing individually and separately most of the time to generate these effects. Without Kremer leading in this piece, this young ensemble proved its status and worth in interpreting new compositions. Overall, a very solid and absorbing ensemble playing there.

However, when Kremer returned as the soloist in Schubert's Rondo, it seemed like a bit of a let-down after those 2 contemporary pieces. Not that they played badly (in fact, without a conductor, Kremer and the ensemble had no difficulty at all in going in sync even at every tempo changes), but their playing might sound a bit too intense for Schubert's style. Also, it seemed to me that Kremer was doing sight-reading and almost playing "impromptu" in this one. So a minor flaw along the way was forgivable, I guess.......

Luckily, the highlight came after the intermission when they played the Tango music by Piazzolla. The whole audience was aroused and I even heard some "beats" and "motions" generated behind me in the third movement of this Suite. The energy of the ensemble was palpable and their music was infectious. The solo percussionist was having great fun himself there alongside Kremer and it showed in the music they generated.

Finally, and interestingly, they brought us the most famous and formal piece of music in the whole evening - Serenada Notturna by Mozart. Scored similar to a concerto grosso between the strings and a quartet of 2 violins, a viola and a double bass (where Kremer adopted the position of second violin supporting the first violin played by ensemble's concertmaster), they played this piece incredibly well and suitably Mozartian until the final Rondo movement where the quartet members improvised in the style of Jazz propagated by the plucking of double bass, or at one instant even a fragment of Tchaikovsky's concerto by the menacing Kremer! Not a traditional classical concert but definitely a great fun overall, as exemplified by the encore pieces including an extremely beautifully played Oblivion by Piazzolla, followed by the interesting excerpts of Heidrich's Happy Birthday variations......

13 November 2009 (Fri) 8pm
Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Programme
Pärt- Fratres for Violin, Strings and Percussion
Šerkšnytė- Midsummer Song for Strings (commissioned work for Kremerata Baltica, 2009)
Schubert- Rondo for Violin and Strings
Piazzolla- Suite Punta del Este
Mozart- Serenata Notturna, K239

Matthew Trusler's Mendelssohn

Playing on a 1711 Stradivarius with one of Heifetz’s bows and having studied with Ruggiero Ricci, young violinist Matthew Trusler playing the Mendelssohn's violin concerto became the main attraction in this HK sinfonietta concert (at least to me). Little did I know that it was in fact the highlight of the whole evening. Honestly, it was not outstanding already. So it showed how disappointing this concert was.

The concert started with a commissioned new orchestral work by local composer George Lam. I admire and respect these new commissions for local young composers from time to time by HKS (while HKPO have the resources but no guts to do so). "The Queen's Gramophone", as the composer himself explained briefly on stage before its world premiere performance, is his imaginative "recollection" of our Hong Kong in the 1960s. How this young composer can write something about the place he left when he was 10 and about the era before his birth is beyond my understanding. Anyway, the music started with a slow and "lazy" dance melody (partly French and partly Spanish style to me) introduced by the bassoon over the pizzicato bass. The melody then was developed with transformation in terms of rhythm, harmonisation and instrumention, until it was chaotic enough to be recognised in the climax. Afterwards, the clarinet introduced the refreshing and jazzy dance music over the mellow brass, which interestingly have a similar texture of Wong Kar Wai's film music. The music however gradually and slowly died away in the end.

Yip Wing-sie's interpretation and leading was a bit plain and cautious, and the tempo changes were not done well and convincingly. A little more imagination and flexibility would be better for this "soundtrack-like" music. It didn't do the music enough justice, for it could neither stimulate emotion nor image from the audience. The bassoon and clarinet did quite well for their solo passages nevertheless.

In the Mendelssohn's violin concerto, Trusler's violin produced a distinctively sharp and penetrative sound. While many young soloists try to play this piece slower and to drill on the details, Trusler played it in a faster pace and in a straight-forward way as if it's a classical period music. He didn't use the vibrato excessively, and he avoided the temptation to romanticize the 2nd movement like everyone else nowadays. Instead, he concentrated on the momentum and articulation of the music. I found his spiccato especially amazing, and resulted in a red-hot exciting and vibrant final movement. Having said that, some very high notes were not steadily reached, and he even somehow resorted to "cheating" by using slides unnecessarily, which I strongly protested. The orchestra was not helping much either, as it was lagging behind the soloist slightly most of the time. Anyhow, in response to the warm applause of the audience, he jokingly said that he wishes to move here before awarded us the virtuosic scherzo by Kreisler, which sounded very well indeed (though not as Zino):

However, nothing prepared me for the disappointing Beethoven's 8th Symphony after the intermission. The tempo was too fast (I guess no one would stick to Beethoven's "crazy" metronomic indications nowadays for the big modern orchestra!), the "thick" sound too poorly controlled that it's intimidating and even suffocating. All I could experience was the repeated rhythmic strong blows to my head throughout without any harmonic layering or fine orchestral details shown, which were all lost in the forcefully energised propulsion. Maybe I don't understand fully and I can't appreciate them enough, but I thought Beethoven's 8th is one of his "smallest" and "lightest" symphonies until I heard it performed by HKS under Yip Wing-sie that evening........Now I'm beginning to admire and miss their playing of the Pastoral Symphony last month.

Hong Kong Sinfonietta concert
6th Nov 2009 8pm at HK City Hall Concert Hall
Music Director/Conductor: Yip Wing-sie
Violin: Matthew Trusler

Programme:

George Tsz-kwan Lam	The Queen's Gramophone (world première)
Mendelssohn	Violin Concerto in E minor, Op 64
Beethoven	Symphony No 8 in F, Op 93