(Left: Yasuo
Shinozaki and right: Alexander Ramm)
Ramm’s most commendable attribute was the
fact that he never fought against the orchestra. (Review by Dr Martin
Goldstein)
The KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert on
June 6, 2019, featured three wonderful works with acclaimed conductor Yasuo
Shinozaki, namely Carl Maria Von Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz, Sir Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in e minor, Op.
85 and Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No 1 in e minor, Op 39.
The Von Weber began with a sombre
atmosphere. Shinozaki had the orchestra under his command and achieved a
coherent sense of ensemble, but the performance as a whole lacked vitality.
Elgar’s Cello Concerto featured acclaimed
cellist Alexander Ramm. His most commendable attribute was that he never fought
against the orchestra, but rather became one with them. He also cultivated a
magnificent singing melody in alternation with the orchestra. Ramm performed
the first movement with great confidence and a lovely use of vibrato, which was
never overdone. The tranquility of the second movement was maintained
delicately by the orchestra throughout. In the finale, Ramm displayed much
virtuosity, particularly in the ascending arpeggio passages, to which the
orchestra responded with equal skill. There was also a lovely interplay between
the woodwinds. As an ensemble, the orchestra created a pleasing resonance as
the movement progressed. Sadly, there were occasional intonation problems in
the upper strings in all movements.
For his encore, Ramm played the first
movement from Benjamin Britten’s Cello Suite. His playing was imbued with great
dignity and, overall, one can say he played with flawless technique.
From the beginning of the Sibelius, it was
clear that the orchestra felt at home with this genre. Unlike in the Von Weber,
the brass were nicely together and the woodwinds really shone. In the second
movement, Shinozaki had full control over the orchestra, especially during the
fugato passages which were masterfully executed. The flutes and harp came to
the fore in the third movement. There was a very good sense of melody and motif
throughout the finale. The disparate motifs never felt disjunctive as the
orchestra had an underlying sense of narrative. The upper strings displayed
excellent agility in certain passages and also some wonderful melodious and
lyrical playing. The trumpets created an almost chilling ethereal effect with
some most angelic passages and the triangles were impeccable in their timing.
Overall, there was some lovely, sonorous
playing. It was clear that Shinozaki had established a good rapport with the
orchestra which allowed them to be responsive to his masterful direction. –
Martin Goldstein
The
next two concerts of the KZNPO season take place on June 13 and 20 at 19h30 in
the Durban City Hall. 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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