(Olga
Kern)
The sheer virtuosity and accuracy which was
displayed in Kern’s playing of Grieg’s Piano Concerto was simply remarkable.
(Review by A-J Bethke)
The heat and humidity which has plagued
KwaZulu-Natal this week has left many of us feeling tired and out of sorts.
This feeling of fatigue appeared to affect the orchestra on Thursday.
Personally, I feel this is understandable and probably accounts for the
inconsistencies which affected the usually impeccable intonation and ensemble
of the group.
Despite the problems which surfaced during
the performance, conductor and orchestra continued without flailing, but the
musical results were mixed. On the one hand there was the moving reading of The Death of Ase from the Peer Gynt Suite in which the strings
achieved incredible dynamic sensitivity and controlled phrasing, highlighting
their supreme musicality. On the other the delicate texture of Morning suffered problems of balance and
intonation. Also, the rather ambitious accelerando of In the Hall of the Mountain King felt overly frenzied and appeared
to exacerbate some of the previous ensemble imbalances.
Of Olga Kern’s technical capabilities on
the piano there is no doubt. The sheer virtuosity and accuracy which was
displayed last night in her playing of Grieg’s Piano Concerto was simply
remarkable. She rightly received appropriate applause for her consummate
technical prowess. Yet, for a concerto such as this to reach beyond a technical
display, there needs to be a rapport with the inner depths of the piece. This
seemed to be absent in Thursday’s rendition. In particular, there appeared to
be a disruption in the 'conversation' between soloist and orchestra so that at
times one felt the two were on different wave lengths.
Dvorak’s first symphony is characteristic
of a young composer finding his feet in terms of compositional and orchestral
technique. The awkward contrapuntal writing and orchestration evident in the
first movement, for example, reveal a composer who is exploring different
approaches to compositional problems, some of which are not resolved in the
course of the work. Indeed, whether any of the thematic material reaches its
full potential is doubtful. But it is for this reason that the work is of
interest from a musicological perspective, as it gives the listener a glimpse
into the inner workings of a compositional mind as great as Dvorak’s. The
difficult part for an orchestra is bringing such a work to life for audiences
who are more accustomed to the mature voice of the New World Symphony. Daniel
Boico had to work exceptionally hard to bring something meaningful out of this
work, and I take my hat off to both him and the orchestra for attempting the
piece at all. While their reading was intrepid, I am not convinced that the
composition itself was the thrilling climax which is needed to close a summer
symphony season. – A-J Bethke
(To
link direct to the KZN Philharmonic’s website click on the orchestra’s banner
advert on the top of the page or visit kznphil.org.za)
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