(Left:Conductor
Daniel Boico)
Hoffman
played with a dignified melancholy and solemnity. (Review by Dr Martin
Goldstein)
The third concert of the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s
early spring season on September 5, 2019, proved that a carefully compiled
concert programme can create for interest and variety. The mood set by such a
programme was both exotic and dignified. The exotic tone was set by the first
work, the Capriccio Espagnol, Op 34
(1887) by Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908). This was followed by
a surprisingly sombre work for a French composer, The Élégie, Op 24 (1883) by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924). The
predominance of Russian works in this programme was confirmed by two works by
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), firstly his Variations on a Rococo Theme Op 33 (1876-1877), Fitzenhagen version
and then his Symphony No 2, Op 17 in c minor, “Little Russian” (1872-1873).
Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol came about during a time of artistic uncertainty
in the composer’s life. After the success of The Snow Maiden (1880-1881), he felt he had reached an artistic
zenith and that his inspiration had died out. Without any new operatic project
on the horizon, he occupied himself with instrumental music. Of the
instrumental works that he produced around this time, which included the Piano
Concerto, the Fantasia on Two Russian
Themes for violin and orchestra and The
Little Russian Fantasia, he felt that the Capriccio Espagnol was one of the finest examples of
orchestrational virtuosity which he had been able to conjure up.
In the KZNPO’s performance of this work,
the acclaimed conductor, Daniel Boico, brought out hitherto unseen energy and
vitality in the orchestra’s playing. He set a tempo which was definitely not
too slow for such an energetic work. The scintillating playing and extreme
vitality in the opening section were juxtaposed against a dignified poise in
the more lyrical sections.
(Right: Soloist
Gary Hoffman)
Fauré’s Élégie was born out of an earlier
period in the composer’s life when he felt the need to pour out his inner
pathos. His later music is more concerned with the careful use of compositional
devices. The KZNPO brought across this sombre mood from the outset and the
renowned cellist, Gary Hoffman, displayed great agility in the string-crossing.
Overall, the mood was sombre but not too morbid.
In the domain of concertante works for solo
instruments, Tchaikovsky was never entirely at ease. In this regard, he sought
out the advice of the notable soloists of his day. The current Fitzenhagen
version of Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a
Rococo Theme represents his acquiescence to the demands of the cellist
Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, for whom he composed the work in 1876.
In their performance of this work, the
KZNPO created a sense of quaint elegance. Hoffman played with a dignified
melancholy and solemnity. He was focused on careful phrase cultivation. For his
encore, he played the Sarabande from
Bach’s Cello Suite No 3, BWV 1009. This showcased his ability to play
convincingly in contrasting genres.
Tchaikovsky is known for his use of Slavic
folksongs in his works. Indeed, in his Second Symphony, he uses folksong in
three of the four movements. Notably, in the final movement, he uses the
folksong The Crane, subjecting it to
intensive contrapuntal treatment.
In the KZNPO’s performance of this work,
Boico brought about sensitive coordination of the contrapuntal interplay
between the parts. Indeed, he was very much at one with the orchestra and it
almost felt as though he had become one of the players. In the Finale. Moderato
assai – Allegro vivo, the brass was resplendent, bringing to life Tchaikovsky’s
awe-inspiring modal chords. – Dr Martin Goldstein
(The final concert of the KZNPO’s Early
Spring Season takes place next Thursday, (September 12, 2019) which takes the form
of the National Youth Concerto Festival conducted by Lykele Temmingh. The
festival nurtures the flowering of new-generation musical talent on the South
African cultural landscape)
(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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