The final outcome was a glowing KZNPO
concert that wrapped up the season and the symphonic year on an exhilarating
note. If this was not quite a World Cup triumph, it was on its own scale a true
victory over the odds. (Review by Dr David Smith)
KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra
World Symphony Spring Series, Concert 4 (November 9, 2023)
The Playhouse Opera
The final outcome was a glowing KZNPO
concert that wrapped up the season and the symphonic year on an exhilarating
note. If this was not quite a World Cup triumph, it was on its own scale a true
victory over the odds. (Review by Dr David Smith)
This year’s spring season marked the 40th anniversary of the orchestra, which began in 1983 as the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, and has been under the artistic and executive leadership of Bongani Tembe for 29 years. He is credited with creating a ‘stable and world-class orchestra’ with a ‘strong business platform’. Since 2016 he has held the same position with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
The approbation of ‘world-class’, or at least ‘premier regional ensemble’, is reflected in the succession of outstanding conductors and soloists who populate its seasons – on this occasion, Robert Moody (USA) and the youthful Canadian cellist Bryan Cheng, whose account of the Elgar Cello Concerto enchanted the capacity audience. (The fact that the stalls of The Opera were chock full was a most welcome sight.)
Elgar’s skill in writing for the orchestra, exploiting its instrumental palette but never overwhelming the sound of the soloist, was demonstrated in a satisfyingly well-coordinated account. All credit to Moody for his impassioned teamwork! The sweet tone of Cheng’s Stradivarius cello contributed substantially to the effect of this autumnal work, and perfectly complemented his mastery of technical gestures both broad and detailed, and his rapturous involvement with the soloist’s part.
The enthusiasm of the audience was rewarded by a delightful encore, a Georgian dance, plucked throughout, entitled Chonguri, as arranged by Sulkhan Tsintsadze. It bears mentioning (since it was omitted in the programme notes) that Cheng is playing with the three leading South African orchestras this month as laureate of the Unisa International Strings Competition (February, 2022). Clearly, that was a well-deserved honour.
Those contributions to the programme spearheaded by Moody were the opening work, Dvořák’s My Homeland, an overture originally created for a Czech play on the subject of a Czech playwright (!) and, after interval, the Fifth Symphony by Sibelius. The Dvořák proved a most genial introduction, with its traditional Czech material seamlessly incorporated in an attractive classical structure with occasional Beethovenian echoes.
The Sibelius is something quite different: for an orchestra, this is pushing out into the deep. The fact that the symphony is now so widely-known simply adds to the pressure. In fact, this late- and post-Romantic group – the main works finished just as the First World War ground to a close (Elgar’s, 1918-1919; Sibelius’ 1915-19) – require a warmer acoustic than The Opera can at present provide, and need an orchestra of generous dimensions, particularly in the string sections.
This particular constraint has been remarked on before, and it is no easy thing to remedy. In the past ten years, the KZNPO numbers have shrunk by about 20%, and, more critically, its complement for symphony concerts is served by an influx of non-resident players (more than 40%). The COVID-19 lockdown was a watershed in whose wake many long-term members of the orchestra retired or resigned and moved away.
Yet the programming of a work like the Sibelius, which tests every player and rewards every application of skill, suggests a confidence in these arrangements, perhaps even a defiance of fate. There have been several recent appointments to permanent positions in the orchestra, and a new manager has been installed; these are indubitably all good signs.
Thus, notwithstanding a conducting style rather in the manner of a school-master, Moody drew playing from the orchestra that was not at all academic. On the contrary, it was zealous and committed to scaling a symphonic peak in which bands of sustained sound migrated across the orchestra, while melodies, often appearing in partial rather than complete statements, moved among the wind soloists and strings to great effect.
The final outcome was a glowing KZNPO concert that wrapped up the season and the symphonic year on an exhilarating note. If this was not quite a World Cup triumph, it was on its own scale a true victory over the odds. - Dr David Smith
The Summer Season 2024 dates are every Thursday from February 29 to March 21, 2024.
To link to the KZNPO website, click on
the advert at the top right-hand of the page or visit kznphil.org.za
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