Tremendous Tchaikovsky (Review by William
Charlton-Perkins)
Always a joy on the podium, both visually
and aurally, conductor Daniel Boico launched the KZN Philharmonic’s Summer
Season in the Playhouse Opera on Thursday (February 22, 2018) with a fine
account of Liszt’s Les Preludes. The Hungarian composer’s lush writing for the
strings would have benefited from a larger body of players in this section,
particularly given the ungrateful acoustics of the venue, but there was no
faulting their silken tone in the quiet interludes, and their keenly alert
response to the maestro’s every gesture throughout the wide-ranging trajectory
of this dramatic piece.
The symphonic poem runs the gamut of high
drama, from passages of brash, raw energy and thrillingly exposed,
neo-Wagnerian bombast - with the orchestra’s brass and timpani sections on top
form – to a hushed, piquant central interlude, punctuated by a pixie-like
interjection from the harp, spreading magically through the winds, before the
full orchestra was swept up in a groundswell of climactic fanfares. A
magnificent curtain-raiser.
I was less captivated by the performance
that followed of Saint-Saëns’s G minor Piano Concerto. There is no denying the
musicality and virtuosity of the acclaimed young Ukrainian pianist, Anna
Dmytrenko. Sadly, what should have proved an electrifying experience was
impeded by a misguided management decision.
This saw the soloist’s interpretation of
this showpiece undermined by the ‘spent’ tonal palette of the venue’s
played-out old Bösendorfer grand - an instrument that has been in service since
the formation of the orchestra in the early eighties. Why was this artist not
accorded the use of the pristine Model D Steinway, safely stashed away in the
City Hall? What we had was certainly valiant. It could have been so much more.
All was forgiven by the electrifying
account of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 4 that brought the evening to a close.
Rising out of the gloom of the work’s sombre opening movement, we were
transported into a quintessential wonderland of Tchaikovsky melodies in the
second movement’s Andantino in modo di canzona.
The third movement Scherzo, marked
Pizzicato Ostinato, as rendered by Maestro Boico and his players, must surely
rank as one of the composer’s most exquisite masterstrokes, while the fireworks
of the finale cannot but drive an audience into a frenzy of exhilaration. A
knock-out of a performance, from first to last. - William Charlton-Perkins
To
link direct to the KZN Philharmonic’s website click on the orchestra’s banner
advert on the top right hand of the page above the National Arts Festival
banner
Posts
