(American violinist Tai Murray)
The orchestra appeared in splendid form in first concert of the season. (Review by Michael Green)
The first concert of the spring season of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra offered a programme of twentieth century music. Predictably enough, the audience in the Durban City Hall was rather sparse.
The first concert of the spring season of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra offered a programme of twentieth century music. Predictably enough, the audience in the Durban City Hall was rather sparse.
The music played was consistently
interesting and enjoyable, and the performances in general were excellent, the
conductor being Rossen Milanov¸ who comes from Bulgaria, is now based in the
United States, and is building an international reputation. The soloist was the
American violinist Tai Murray, who has also become a big name.
These two young artists made a great impact
on the audience. Rossen Milanov is lean, smiling, almost boyish, and he
conducts with expressive and expansive gestures that drew an excellent response
from the orchestra. And Tai Murray is a
violinist of the first rank.
The concert opened with Leonard Bernstein’s
Candide Overture, a brilliant, noisy
and exuberant piece, replete with catchy tunes, by this American
composer/conductor.
Then came Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto
in D major, with Tai Murray as soloist. This concerto was probably unknown
territory to most members of the audience. Korngold (1897-1957), an Austrian of
Jewish background, was hailed as a composer of genius when he was young, left
for the United States when the Nazi persecution began, and made a big name as a
composer of film music.
His music is late romantic in style, not
aggressively modern, and the violin concerto, which dates from 1946, is a
virtuoso work with many sweeping melodies. Tai Murray gave a lovely performance
of this highly attractive music. She displayed a rich, full tone in the lyrical
passages, and the virtuoso finale was delivered with flourish and high skill. The
orchestra was in splendid form throughout. Prolonged applause at the end
indicated the appreciation of the listeners.
The concert was completed with a rousing
performance of Shostakovich’s big, dynamic Fifth Symphony, written in 1937. The
composer had been criticised by the Soviet authorities, and he offered this
work as a kind of (tongue-in-cheek?) apology.
For most listeners it is probably the most accessible of Shostakovich’s
15 symphonies. The KZN Philharmonic gave it full value, from its arresting
start to its triumphal conclusion. - Michael Green
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