(Georgi Anichenko)Young Russian-born cellist creates enchantment. (Review by Michael Green)
Camille Saint-Saens’s first cello concerto, written in 1872, is an enchanting work, and the enchantment was totally conveyed at this concert by the young Russian-born cellist Georgi Anichenko. The concert as a whole, the fourth in the summer season of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, was a great success, earning prolonged applause from the audience in the Durban City Hall.
Saint-Saens (1835-1921) is such a tuneful, compelling, persuasive kind of composer that I am surprised that his concertos are not performed here more often. There are eight that are played with some regularity today in the world’s concert halls: five for piano, two for cello and one for violin. They are all very attractive, but the gem is, in my opinion, the Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33, and there could hardly be a more eloquent interpretation than that given by Georgi Anichenko. From the opening phrase, surely one of the most original in symphonic music, the melodies flowed in a glorious golden cello tone, and the playing of the orchestra, conducted by Emil Tabakov, was admirable, especially in the delicate middle section, a kind of minuet.
Georgi Anichenko had created a great impression two days earlier when he played for the Friends of Music, and this orchestral concert confirmed that he is an artist of the first rank.
A work by another French composer, Hector Berlioz, opened the evening. This was the King Lear overture, not very often played but fine, dramatic music on a subject well-suited to Berlioz’s rather dramatic personality. Emil Tabakov is a Bulgarian conductor with wide international experience. This was his debut with the KZN Philharmonic. He is a tall, imposing figure with what appeared to be a genial relationship with the orchestra. His conducting was precise and firm, giving accurate emphasis to the contrasts and pauses in Berlioz’s score.
A most enjoyable concert was concluded with an old favourite, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite, based on music from his famous ballet. - Michael Green
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