CPO “Winter Symphonies 2026”: Classical Romance. Conducted by Bernhard Gueller. Soloist: Hayoug Choi (Cello). Programme: Haydn’s Cello Concerto No.1 in C Major Hob. VIIb: 1 and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 in E Major. ALBERT COMBRINK reviews.
The third of the four concerts offered in the CPO’s Winter Season was a celebratory event: a fine international soloist in a charming and engaging cello concerto – an instrument not heard as soloist as often as it could – and one of the biggest and most imposing works in the classical symphony genre, Bruckner’s massive seventh symphony.
Although Hayoung has won several competitions including the 3rd Krzysztof Penderecki International Cello Competition and the Johannes Brahms International Competition, it was winning the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition for Cello that opened many international doors. Choi made her Cape Town debut in a concerto she has been playing since the age of ten, and with which she played herself to that gold medal in the 2022. She brings to it a formidable technical arsenal and literally two decades of experience and her brilliance and ease was on clear display.
Born in 1998, Choi began her musical education in Seoul, South Korea, before moving to the UK, where she attended the Purcell School of Music. Choi performs on the 1707 “Ex-Starker” Joseph filius Andrea Guarnerius cello, which is generously on loan to her from an anonymous patron. This historic instrument was crafted by the esteemed Cremonese luthier Giuseppe Guarneri (son of Andrea). It is renowned for its remarkable richness in colour, deep resonance, and ability to handle both delicate nuance and substantial sonic power.
Choi made a solid case for the work, displaying all the wit and charm for which it has become famous since it was rediscovered in a Prague library after having been thought lost for over two centuries. Choi is also studying baroque cello privately at the Universität der Künste Berlin, and one wonders if these studies influenced he performance of this work which pays such rich homage to the Baroque Ritornello style. Very little vibrato and clearly delineated dynamic levels made the performance easy to follow, and her zippy finger work was a delight to hear. And hear, we did, as the balance between soloist and orchestra was excellent throughout.
Gueller and the CPO kept a polite distance – perhaps occasionally too polite – allowing the soloist to take centre-stage in a work with ear-tickling passagework and elegant and memorable melodies. The exquisite slow movement was given an almost ecclesiastical garb with an exquisite vocal sound which filled the entire space. While beautifully played, perhaps something more emotional could still be found in the music. The final movement took off at an alarming speed, but this soloist was in absolute control at every moment.
Only the concerto was offered in the first half, and one wondered if brief hors d’oeuvre might not have fleshed out the evening, but instead, we were offered a delightful encore: Edward Elgar’s La capricieuse Op.17. Originally for violin and piano, arranged for string quartet and solo cello, Choi performed it with the string section leaders of the CPO, without conductor. It was the perfect encore; a gorgeous, witty little soupçon in the style of Kreisler perhaps, to show off great musical humour, nuance and extreme technical ease. It was a delight. Choi cannot make a single unpleasant sound or play a note out of tune. She has a stellar career ahead of her.
Anton Bruckner stands unique in the world of symphonic music. His works are enormous, inviting comparison with Mahler. His works are built on the models of the past, inviting comparisons with Beethoven and Brahms. His works incorporate the vast new musical canvass of romanticism, inviting comparisons with Wagner. And yet, he is unlike any of these. Almost uniquely, of all the romantic orchestral composers, Bruckner avoids traditional narratives, is devoid of extra-literary depictions or expression of many of the darker emotions which constitute the life-blood of the music of romanticism. Instead, Bruckner presents an Everest in the landscape: huge, uncompromising but mesmerising landscapes impossible to ignore.
It has been 20 years since Gueller conducted this symphony in Cape Town, and a revisit was overdue. Gueller is a consummate Brucknerian. His tempi are always apt, his handling of the orchestral colours always spot-on, and unlike in performances of many other composers in the City Hall, the vast brass forces never overplayed the rest of the orchestra. Given that the artillery includes 4 Wagner Tubas, this is no mean feat. It is an exquisite symphony and there were many memorable moments. The two vast climaxes which cap the first two movements were overwhelming and heroic in the best possible way, and Gueller judged the ascent to perfection. The Scherzo started at the perfect tempo, but after the middle section seemed to unsettle itself a bit. Not quite enough to feel as if anything was derailed, but just enough to unsettle the equilibrium. The Finale is the lightest emotional point of the symphony – a structural issue, not a performance one – but by the end one felt elated and joyful. Gueller has the measure of Bruckner, with a direct and clear presentation of the music that is both unfussy in the details and highly meticulous in calculating those long stretches where the harmonies and colours seem suspended above the proceedings on the stage. “Bruckner live with the CPO” has become a trajectory map-point in the CPO legacy, with a magnificent performance of the 4th Symphony still in the memory.
As with other performances of such large works in recent seasons – Mahler 5, Daphnis et Chloé etc – I felt that I wish I could hear the orchestra play it again “tomorrow night”. The orchestra had already played the full programme at the morning Final Dress Rehearsal, and in some of the brass, inevitable muscle failure errors were noticeable. In past years, works had been performed twice in a week, in different venues (Stellenbosch for example or a Sunday City Hall matinée). Of course, financial and audience constraints define this entire conversation, but I would have liked to hear the performance a little more settled in the bones of the players. Navigating 70 minutes of Bruckner is not for the faint hearted. It is a long journey, and along the road some apples must inevitably fall from the cart. I would just like to hear the orchestra tackle this music under the most ideal of rehearsal and performance conditions.
We are lucky to have an orchestra, conductors and a management prepared to present these masterworks to the audience, both as a challenge to listeners and to the players themselves. The concert was broadcast live on Fine Music Radio 101.3, who are presenting the entire season, live on air.
CPO CEO Adriaan Fuchs presents a fascinating podcast on FMR: “Inside the Score”. You can listen to his deep-dive into this magnificent symphony here.
The Next Symphony Concert: Thursday June 25, 19h30 bookings here. INTO THE LIGHT
Conductor: Bernhard Gueller
Soloist: Daniel Rowland (violin)
Ravel: Ma Mère l’Oye
Vasks: Violin Concerto No. 1, “Distant Light”
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944, “The Great”
Pre-Concert Talk at 18h45 by Albert Combrink.
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