SYMPHONY CONCERT. 31 October, 2024. At The Cape Town City Hall. CPO conducted by Jonathan McPhee, soloist Hyeyoon Park; Nielsen: Helios Overture, Op. 17; Elgar: “Falstaff”, Op 68; Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No 1 in A minor, Op 77. DEON IRISH reviews.
Cape Town’s penchant for unpredictable weather made mockery of the title of the second concert of a season entitled Summer Symphonies – given in a week that produced snow on the Matroosberg and a biting chill in the city.
The opening “Helios” Overture is the product of a six month stay in Athens by the Danish composer, Carl Nielsen, who had accompanied his sculptress wife (who had been granted an award to continue her studies of ancient Greek sculpture) to that city. The overture depicts a the daily journey of the sun from its rising above an easterly sea horizon of the Aegean, to its culmination in the westerly waters. The structure of the opening is not dissimilar to that of Strauss’s “Zarathustra”, although altogether softer and gentler.
It relies for its effect on the pianissimo string opening – really depicting the reflections that herald the appearance of the sun – before the four orchestral horns (commencing with the 3rd, then the 2nd, then 4th and finally 1st) weave a little chorale of emerging sunlight and gathering warmth. But it is all still very soft – even ppp in the case of the 1st horn – and correspondingly dangerous in execution.
The are pieces, or passages in pieces, that can make the French horn sound like an exceedingly difficult instrument to master. This is one such. On the evidence, mastery is yet to be achieved.
There followed Elgar’s curious confection, termed “Falstaff” a sort of English “Till Eulenspiegel” without Strauss’s more intelligible narrative writing. I say “more intelligible” because “Falstaff” does not lack narrative elements: indeed, it follows broadly the principal dramatic elements of Shakespeare’s Henry V Parts 1 and 2 quite faithfully. But there is, if anything, too much of attempt to marry music to an undepicted stage action, turning the score in the result into something approximating to a soundtrack without a movie.
Affinity for the score
Orchestral playing was cohesive – even assured (the horns seemingly regaining their collective nerves after their unfortunate trip to the Aegean) and McPhee demonstrated a clear affinity for the score. Perhaps, as a significant ballet conductor, he can relate more nearly to its narrative elements. Nevertheless, sitting up in the gallery, the effect remained that of a rather overblown exercise in Edwardian orchestration, fulsome – even buxom – in outline and rather tiresome in the endless dotted rhythms.
Accomplished instrumentalist
It was up to Shostakovich and visiting violinist, Hyeyoon Park, to rescue us from the infelicities of the first half of the programme. And that they did, in memorable fashion.
Park is a most accomplished instrumentalist, winner of significant international competitions, frequent performer in many of famous concert venues, collaborator with some very big names amongst present day performers in chamber music presentations. She plays an extraordinarily powerful instrument, a modern violin made by celebrated luthier, Stefan-Peter Greiner.
Shostakovich’s first violin concerto dates from 1955 and is an utterly uncompromising work. Although begun shortly after the conclusion of WWII, it was not publicly performed by its dedicatee, David Oistrakh, until the premiere in Leningrad in 1955.
The work opens with almost a feel of chamber music to the solo line, an introspective study over a relaxed orchestral commentary. Soloist and conductor formed a good partnership in achieving a balanced increase of tension as the solo writing became more impassioned and the orchestral counterpoint more pronounced. The movement was delivered with searing intensity until we reached the final chilling moments, characterized by the bleak wind writing and solitary harp notes.
Plenty of pyrotechnics
The succeeding scherzo (with its musical joke consisting of the composer’s notational initials employed as a theme) gave an opportunity to the soloist to demonstrate plenty of pyrotechnics in the solo line – but all characterized with something of a fragmented and disjunctive impression. The writing is nevertheless ebullient – indeed, there are several passages which call to mind the quirky gaiety of the Second Piano Concerto.
The Passacaglia is a very fine conception and was beautifully delivered by the soloist. Orchestral accompaniment was mostly pleasing, although the brass ensemble was not quite secure in the opening measures. Mention should be made of the beautifully delivered cor anglais solo.
The movement descends into a succeeding cadenza – so substantial as to almost constitute a movement in its own right. It did, of course, afford Park a wonderful vehicle for demonstrating her splendid musical armoury, with beautifully phrased melodic lines and pungent harmonic interventions, crisply delivered with a left hand of impeccable intonation and a bowing arm of enormous dynamic control. The instrument, as already remarked, has considerable presence and made of this episode a truly remarkable sonic experience.
The concerto concludes with a Burlesque, which McPhee and Park took at a blistering tempo and had the orchestra scrambling to keep up – which they did. After the emotional depths of the Passacaglia and of the cadenza, this romp was just what was needed to bring the work to a rousing conclusion and to an ovation from a less than full, but hugely appreciative City Hall.
Book tickets for the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra’s Summer Symphonies Season
here.
What: CPO conducted by Jonathan McPhee, soloist Hyeyoon Park
Reviewer: Deon Irish
WS
