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AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL CONCERT REVIEW
Rachmaninov,
Lalo,
Turina, Vadim Repin
(violin), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Petrenko
(conductor), Philharmonie at the Gasteig, Munich 10.7.2008 (JFL)
Turina, Danzas fantásticas, op.22
Lalo, Symphonie espagnole, op.21
Rachmaninov, Symphonic Dances, op.45
Some works need to have their greatness coaxed out of them (eg
some Brahms), others are great because they cannot be ‘destroyed’
by a mediocre performance (Mozart). Still others are simply ‘good
music’, variously dependent on their interpretation – and offering
entertainment, just not that sense of elatedness. To my, probably
biased, ears, Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole belongs to that
last group.
It is also much more difficult to hear the soloist’s greatness in
the Symphonie espagnole than, say, the Beethoven or
Sibelius concerti. It’s a lovely showpiece of reasonable
substance, and playing it well and flawlessly is really all it
takes to do it well.
Vadim Repin, who played the work with the Bavarian Radio Symphony
Orchestra on Thursday July 10th, did the flawless part
of course. What would have made his performance stand out against
any other ‘merely’ flawless performance though, was the use
of a great variety of colors – which Repin has in spades. Hollow,
then honeyed, grave, gay, fantastical, ferocious, spontaneous and
spunky, weary and wiry. And between all the extremes a wealth of
subtle nuances: many of which he packed into the four
movements of that “Sarasate Concerto” that is the Symphonie
espagnole. It was preceded by Joaquin Turina’s “Danzas
fantásticas” op.22 – lovely and feisty and forgettable music for
the moment.
Fluff, well executed and entertaining though it was, gave way to
meatier fare with Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. A brash
affair with lots of dogged determination and short on grace. For
all the dainty dancing with which conductor Kirill Petrenko tried
to elicit sounds from the BRSO, the result was rather foursquare
and duty-bound. The lazy waltzing of the Andante con moto
wasn’t just meaty, it was doughy. The Lento assai – Allegro
vivace with its many premature climaxes was terribly excited
but ultimately drove home the point that all these dances were a
musical diet too one-sided.
Jens F. Laurson