(Right: William Eddins, Zandile Mzazi & Goran Krivokapić)
Krivokapić was at one with the sentiment of the music and at the same
time removed from the orchestra. He was united with them only through a common
commitment to the same sentiment. (Review by Dr. Martin Goldstein)
The second concert of the
KZNPO Summer Season, 2020, which took place on February 20, followed in the
wake of Valentine’s Day and thus the underlying theme was a romantic one.
Accordingly, each of the items in the programme either dealt with the topic of
love directly or in the atmosphere it created. The world-acclaimed American
conductor, William Eddins, whose experience is broad and worldly, imparted much
to the concert with his unassuming but thoughtful manner.
The orchestra played the
Overture to Rosamunde, D. 644 (1817)
by Franz Schubert (1797-1828); Concierto
de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra (1939) by Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999);
Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana (1890)
by Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945); “Je marche sur tous les chemins” from Manon (1884) by Jules Massenet
(1842-1912); Prelude to Act I from La
Traviata (1853) by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901); “È strano…Folllie!
follie…Sempre libera” from Act 1 of La
Traviata (1853) by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901); Salut d’amour (Love’s Greeting), Op. 12 (1888) by Edward Elgar
(1857-1934) and the Romeo and Juliet fantasy
overture (1869, revised 1870 and 1880) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).
Schubert’s Overture to Rosamunde evolved over a period of
waxing and waning fortunes in the composer’s life. During the latter period of
the work’s evolution around 1823, ill-health set in and took much out of the
composer. Also, a number of his compositions were failures around this time.
Despite all this, Schubert was persuaded by Kupelwieser to provide incidental
music to Helmina von Chézy’s play Rosamunde.
The orchestra’s rendition
of it had a stern start and the mood was sombre and foreboding. The woodwinds
provided a lovely, sonorous sound of primeval beauty. The choice of tempo was
safe and well-calculated. There was disciplined robustness but not with
unbridled emotion. There was a compelling sense of rhythm and good maintenance
of tempo.
The Rodrigo showcased the inspiring
talent of the internationally acclaimed guitarist, Goran Krivokapić. In the Allegro con spirito, there was a
Mediterranean cheerfulness on the guitar which was a reflection of Krivokapić’s
cheerful disposition as a person. He produced excellent ornaments and a lovely
light tone with agile finger work. In the Adagio,
the luscious chords in the guitar conjured up the feel of gentle rain. Notable
was the guitar’s singing quality and the amalgamation of sound between all the
parts of the ensemble. Overall, the whole ensemble created a feeling of such
brooding depth and introspection. The guitarist was at one with the sentiment
of the music and at the same time removed from the orchestra. He was united
with them only through a common commitment to the same sentiment. In the Allegro gentile, there was much
jubilance. Again, the guitarist did not resort to excessiveness. Rather, joy
was expressed through the timing.
Mascagni displayed
precocious talent as a composer from a young age and his Cavalleria Rusticana allowed him to win the Sonzogno competition in
1888. The opera was a great success from its first performance at the Costanzi
in Rome in 1890. Its strong points are its melodic vitality and originality.
The opera is based on Giovanni Verga’s play Cavalleria
and espouses Italian nationalism.
In the orchestra’s
rendition of it, there was a rustic wholesomeness and fullness. There was good
poise in the phrasing yet the rubarto
did not destroy the integrity of the meter.
Massenet’s Manon was begun in March of 1882 and was
conceived of as an opéra-comique. In it, there is the tension between Manon’s
adolescent craving for pleasure and her devoted love for Des Grieux.
The orchestra’s rendition
of it had a robust, energetic start. The widely acclaimed local soprano,
Zandile Mzazi, produced a very mature, mellow sound with perfect intonation.
She had a good sense of narrative which was innate.
Verdi’s La Traviata contains a level of realism
not frequently seen in his earlier operas. The atmosphere of the time period it
represents is brought to life very realistically: the world of waltzes is felt
throughout the score and the heroine’s death from disease is brought to life
very vividly in the music, even in the Prelude.
The orchestra’s rendition of
the Prelude to Act 1 from La Traviata
was poetic and programmatic. It had an intense start imbued with fullness and
buxomness. The cellos were magnificent.
In “È strano…Follie!
follie…Sempre libera” from Act 1 of La
Traviata, Mzazi understood the narrative as an integrated whole.
In the orchestra’s
rendition of the Elgar, there was a quaintness of Victorian sentiment. The
Acting Concert Master, Petya Koleva, produced a lovely tone.
Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture is
programmatic in every sense. It was born out of his association with Balakirev,
who proposed a programme for the work. Balakirev planned the work in
sonata-allegro form, with the introduction depicting Friar Laurence, the allegro first theme conveying the
hostility between the Capulets and Montagues and the second theme expressing
the romance between the lovers. The revised ending is a funeral march based on
the lovers’ theme.
In the orchestra’s
rendition of the work, there was a good sense of chord- construction within and
across the sections. The flute was splendid. In this work, Eddins revealed a
more active side through his actions to elicit the correct sound from the
orchestra. He was goal-driven and calculated.
The encore was a nicely
choreographed number. Again, Mzazi displayed the same effortlessness of
approach – Dr. Martin Goldstein
The two final concerts of the season will take place on
February 27 and March 5, 2020, at 19h30 in the Durban City Hall. Booking is at
Computicket.
(To link direct to the
KZN Philharmonic’s website click on the orchestra’s banner advert on the top of
the page or go to kznphil.org.za)
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