(Daniel
Raiskin)
Magnificent account of Beethoven’s Symphony
No. 5 in C minor. (Review by Michael Green)
A programme ranging from the unknown to the
very familiar was presented by the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra in the final
concert of the winter symphony season in the Durban Playhouse.
Under the direction of the visiting Russian
conductor Daniel Raiskin the orchestra opened with a composition called Drop, written this year by a Cape Town
composer, Matthijs van Dijk.
The composer says that the beginning of the
work is based on an enormous water drop building up, falling and hitting the
ground with a thud. This leads him to philosophical speculation about the
current global political climate, with protests happening around the world.
All very ingenious, but you won’t go home
humming the tunes.
This was followed by Dance Preludes by the 20th century Polish composer
Witold Lutoslawski, five brief pieces based on Polish folk dances, lively,
strongly rhythmical, and attractive in the modern manner.
In all these pieces the orchestra were
joined by members of the Decoda Ensemble, a group from the Carnegie Hall, New
York, four strings and five players of wind instruments. Their clear skills and
animated stage presence added much to the music.
Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante in B flat
major is a lovely work and the only one of its kind by this master, a sort of
combination of symphony and concerto. Here four members of the Decoda Ensemble,
violin, cello, oboe and bassoon, played with the orchestra, with highly
enjoyable results.
The dominant feature of the concert was,
however, a magnificent account of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor. This
is arguably the greatest piece of music ever written, and on the podium Daniel
Raiskin led the players with tremendous flourish. His strenuous conducting
captured the spirit of the music, and the orchestra responded with a totally
committed, overpowering performance.
At the end the audience gave a standing
ovation lasting several minutes in acknowledgment of what was a triumph for
orchestra and conductor. - Michael Green
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