Shostakovich: Symphony
No.1 in F minor, Op.10
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64
Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in C minor, Op.67
This
concert was launched with a stunningly powerful
performance of Shostakovich’s first attempt
at the symphonic genre. Indeed, Shostakovich
was a mere 18 years of age and still under
the tutelage of Glazunov at the St. Petersburg
Conservatoire when he produced No.1 out of
a total of fifteen symphonies that would pepper
his compositional career at regular intervals
and at key points in his musical development.
Having
stood as Principal Guest Conductor of the
Philharmonia Orchestra since 1994, Dohnányi
was elected Principal Conductor in 1997. There
is little wonder, therefore, that this evening’s
collaboration of conductor and orchestra made
so much sense – a flick of the baton impacted
immediately the orchestral voice. And Dohnányi
is a man of many gestures, with hardly a moment’s
rest on the podium. The result of his unrelenting
attention to detail was a performance that
was rich in colour as it was deep in contemplation.
Throughout
the Shostakovich we were treated to a colourful
and moving soundscape. The opening movement’s
instrumental exchanges (such as the flute
solo translating into a high-register violin
trill) were seamless and the barely audible
and yet clearly articulated pianissimo
ending of the Lento was magical.
In the
lively Allegro an unlikely piano solo
surfaced but with Dohnányi’s masterful
guidance there was never a surprise that overwhelmed
the band. This piano introduction was accommodated
just as neatly as were the fluctuating tempo
markings and constantly shifting musical pace.
The brashness of a young and impetuous Shostakovich
was kept alive within a framework of rationality
and control. This approach secured the menacing
challenge of the concluding Presto
that built up gradually to an electrifying
finish.
What
an anticlimax, therefore, to follow such a
polished execution with a flop. Presumably
Repin was having an off-day, but in the world
of tightly-competing solo violin artists there
really is very little room for musical sacrileges
on this scale.
Repin
is a tall and generously built fellow. That
someone with such an imposing physical presence
should be so painfully insecure on his instrument
defies visual logic.
Without
forcing the reader to suffer as vividly as
the listener did, allow me to summarise Repin’s
performance of the beloved Mendelssohn violin
concerto: consistently out of tune and occasionally
missing notes entirely (the opening run of
octaves were a real treat!); transparent nerves
no doubt exacerbated by an obvious lack of
technical control; emphases and inflections
in all the wrong places betraying a rather
dubious musical understanding; a flat and
callously ploughed Andante; a ridiculously
fast finale where clarity and meaning were
sacrificed to the god of speed.
The
accompanying orchestra, however, could not
be faulted – indeed, one would have done well
to take refuge in their tuttis that
were thankfully extremely well conceived and
delivered.
Although
the interval granted the audience some time
to recover, one wondered whether the orchestra
had been mildly tainted by the ordeal. That
said, Beethoven's fifth symphony started extremely
well – a deeply resonating, full-bodied opening
statement of the famous hammering motif promised
an exciting interpretation.
As in
the Shostakovich, the punctilious conducting
brought out an entire spectrum of musical
gestures, however a few untidy corners gnawed
at the bigger picture. For instance, the messy
run-up to the first movement recapitulation
and the accompanying figure for the second
movement clarinet solo that required a few
takes before synchronising. Ironically, the
time lag between brass and strings in the
final movement worked in the music’s favour,
rendering a poignantly struggling effect.
Aline Nassif
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