CONCERT REVIEW. Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra Summer Festival Concert No,2, 22 January 2026, Cape Town City Hall. Jonathan Lo (Conductor) and Ryoko Yano (Violin).
Mozart: Symphony No.31 in D Major, K.297 “Paris”, Saint-Saëns: Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 61, Debussy: “La Mer” and Ravel: Boléro. ALBERT COMBRINK reviews.
Cape Town was treated to an interesting programme: Jonathan Lo, Music Director & Chief Conductor of the Australian Ballet, selected three works by French composers, and one by an Austrian, specifically composed for Parisian audiences. Unusual to have a quartet of works on the programme, but a very satisfying four-course meal was served. Lo was elegant and entertaining in his welcome speech from the podium, where he invited the audience to imagine the four composers conversing at a dinner party. He wittily highlighted some ideological differences and similarities between the four:
Mozart’s well-known disdain for the French audiences, countered by his genuine desire to please them with his music;
Saint-Saëns, whose politics were intrinsically tied to his musical philosophy, championing French tradition, opposing German cultural hegemony (Wagnerism), and promoting a “rational” musical style that served democratic ideals;
Debussy, who eschewed official politics and yet dedicated an entire career to contributing to the defining of a 20th century French style;
And, of course, Ravel. Quiet to the last minute, when his sardonic wit summarised the evening’s entertainment in a short, sharp, succinct synopsis.
An exquisite rendition
And so it was with the programme. The orchestra gave a most exquisite rendition of the “Paris” Symphony, so-called, as the 22-year-old composer – racing around Europe, looking for permanent employment – ended up in Paris, and while the job hunt proved frustratingly fruitless, managed to secure a commission to write a symphony for the “Concerts Spirituels”.
Mozart was determined to have a hit with the public, and wrote according to the tastes of his audience: a joyous, full opening with many dramatic effects, including the “Mannheim Rocket” (short, sharp bursts of exciting fast, upward scale passages, so-called from its popularity in Mannheim), and the “coup d’archet”, (a musical device favoured by French audiences), which involved the rather forceful downward bow at the very beginning of a work or phrase. Mozart was quite disdainful of the Parisian tastes, and his outspokenness would have tripped up his job-search.
The lively first movement is followed by a simple, melodious slow movement without too many emotional complications – even a rewrite of the slow movement does not reflect, for example, the virtually simultaneous, sudden death of his mother – and a third movement bristling with strong dynamic contrasts, rushing headlong to a thrilling climax. This sums up the performance.
From the first “attack of the bow”, the orchestra gave a full-throated but joyful reading of this happiest of works. The Mannheim Rockets shot off with sparks, and did not outstay their welcome. Tempos were exciting but not driven, relaxed but not lax, and it was all over in a flash. It is a short symphony, and it was not treated as an overture, but it did feel as if it was so concisely written, that each movement might well be an overture to some other, larger work. By the end, we were happy, but ready for more. That’s the best place in which to find yourself, after a symphony.
Japanese violinist Ryoko Yano made her Cape Town debut in the third Violin Concerto by Camille Saint-Saëns. Yano has an impressive résumé, with many competition-wins to her name, and 30 concertos in her repertoire. Undoubtedly an important work, the concerto is not as easily accessible as some of the more famous ones, but it is a gem, rewarding listening and relistening, for the patient. Many of its gems were offered to the audience, and there is more to mine, here. The dark and dramatic opening in B Minor revealed a very unique sound – on the G string – giving it an ominous and foreboding quality. Like a metallic mezzo-soprano with a narrow vibrato, it was arresting, but it took a few moments to get used to it, and to place it within the orchestral colours. The orchestral writing is on the thickish side, and in the middle register it was hard to pick out the soloist all the time. Tender melodic writing – and playing – seduced the ear and there was much to enjoy. For the very demanding virtuoso passages, not all the right angles added up to 90 degrees. The slow movement was beautifully played, with many duet moments with the woodwinds, well captured by the players and well facilitated by the conductor. The famous passage at the end with the harmonics and the clarinet, wobbled inexplicably, but soon settled into a moment of magic that Saint-Saëns, the experienced man of the theatre, could do so well. A brighter sound and clear rhythmic drive lifted the third movement to a warm applause.
Debussy’s “La Mer”, his great Three Symphonic Sketches for Orchestra, is always a treat and a surprise to hear. This work stands out from many, in that performances of it can differ so immensely, which is perhaps hard to understand, given that everyone is working from the same score. The fact is, Debussy’s writing here, is open to such a large range of interpretation. It is immensely difficult to play, and – like the sea it depicts – changes of colour, speed, mood, volume, etc., can happen in a split-second.
Jonathan Lo’s approach was to play it like he played the Mozart: let the music speak for itself without interpolating too much of the personal into the conversation. It made for an interesting listen, and listeners will ultimately have to decide for themselves how they like their Debussy. He was obviously a child of the Romantic Era, so his works can absorb quite a bit of rhythmic freedom (rubato, time-bending and the like). He can also be played like Stravinsky: stricter tempo and adherence to musical instructions. Both are valid, and which is art and which isn’t, lies in the ears of the beholder. Jonathan Lo seemed to favour NOT playing it “impressionistically”: lines were clearly drawn, rhythms strictly delineated, and rubato – to my ears – used very sparingly.
This made for a very crystal-clear lens on what was going on, giving an opportunity to follow the colours as they flitted like sea-life through the orchestra. Solos by all the sections were beautifully handled. The Horn siren-call at the end of the second movement that seemed as if it was never going to stop, made a special impact.
Lo controls dynamics strictly: each movement has one climax, and when it comes, it is unmissable and unavoidable. The final glorious wave of the first movement was the emotional and dynamic climax of the movement, but Lo kept the 5th gear for the end of the final movement. This kind of technical control over proceedings, to my mind, sets Lo apart from many conductors we hear. It doesn’t feel enforced, it just seems to be so clearly communicated from the podium, that the orchestra can swim in the stream that has been provided for them, and be musicians in their own right. Lo used the glockenspiel instead of the celesta – the original was written for a kind of “Glockenspiel-Piano”, which has now pretty much gone extinct, and the celesta was still a new enough instrument so as to assume that its inclusion was not Debussy’s obvious first choice. Given that the mallet-writing is quite advanced for that time, the tricky glockenspiel playing was impressively virtuosic, and the bright metallic sound wins over the smoother option of the celesta.
The highlight of the evening, for me, was Ravel’s iconic “Boléro”. It is iconic because it is universally known, and universally mocked as much as it is loved: There is one tune, which repeats a gazillion times without ever really changing its notes, and this happens over a rhythmic pattern that repeats a gazillion times; a clock or mechanical toy is wound up and set loose on the world, to run untill the spring finally gives out and it all comes crashing down. But in a performance like tonight, its impact is emotionally devastating. Hyperbole, this is not. Jonathan Lo again did that thing he does so well: start from so far away that you are not sure the sounds are really in the room. The snare drum starts so softly that you are not even sure it is actually playing. And slowly, without any agenda, self-awareness or fore-knowledge of how this ends, the tune starts wandering through the orchestra. I cannot mention soloists – I would have to mention everyone from harp to (an actual) celesta to the trombone to the saxophones to… – but each player tonight, made me proud to love and support this wonderful orchestra. Even the guest ad-hoc players are superb! Again, Lo kept the meanderings in strict tempo, without sounding mechanical, even though we were listening to the equivalent of a music box, or a Duracell drummer bunny. It was a deeply moving, emotional experience. This work is not a gimmick. It isn’t just “that old peace that plays the same tune over and over again”. It is one of the undisputed masterworks of last century.
Cape Town audiences are often accused of giving standing ovations to “anything with a loud ending” – and, of course, a loud ending doesn’t hurt. But I also notice when the audience feels that electricity in a performance, and at the end cannot help themselves but rid that pent-up excitement through standing up and clapping till their hands ache.
That happened tonight: like an electric current going through the audience, those last, wild, bombastic trombone slurs just drove the whole work to an explosion of energy. As I was walking afterwards to my car on the parade, amidst happy audience goers, my heart was singing “Tum tickety tick, tickety tick tick Tum”. Another Jonathan Lo performance with the CPO that will stay with me for a long time.
Jonathan Lo will conduct the final concert in this short Summer Season:
Thursday 29 January, 2026
Ar Cape Town City Hall at 19:30
Jonathan Lo Conductor
Lothar Hensel bandoneon
Gershwin Cuban Overture
Piazzolla “Aconcagua” for Bandoneon and Orchestra
Copland El Salón México
Respighi Pines of Rome
WS
