Hong Kong Philharmonic – Oleg Caetani, conductor; Johannes Moser, cello. June 16, 2012.

Hong Kong Cultural Center Concert Hall, Stalls 2 (Seat HH62, HK$240).

Program – Russian Shakespeare

Hamlet – Fantasy Overture after Shakespeare, Op, 67, by Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).

Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, by Tchaikovsky.

Romeo and Juliet Suite by Prokofiev (1891-1953).

I think to call the program by the name of “Russian Shakespeare” is too clever by half.  Yes, the composers are Russian, and yes, most of the music references Shakespeare.  On the other hand, the title would make people hesitate to attempt something so esoteric.  Cases in point: I couldn’t get anyone to go with me, so I ended up going along; and the attendance at this concert is one of the lowest at any HKPO concert I have been to.  I am not only saying the program title is too sophisticated for a Hong Kong audience, I am saying it is too sophisticated even for a New York audience.  (For proof, see my rumblings about NY Phil’s Modern Beethoven series.)

Which is a real pity.  All the pieces on the program are interesting, they were done on the whole well, and one would get to see this (undoubtedly) up and coming young cellist Johannes Moser.

The concert didn’t start out that great.  In the past I have always remarked that the Hong Kong Philharmonic is a surprisingly competent orchestra.  For the first piece they seemed lackluster and a big dragging.  To me Tchaikovsky doesn’t bother with a lot of mystery, he just tells the story the way it enfolds, with great musical themes, lively tempo, and dramatic dynamics.  And Hamlet is great drama, what with murder, insanity, and ghosts.  While not the entire story is told in this 18 or so minute piece, there should be enough drama in it to make it riveting.  All I heard was a competent reading of the score.

Things got considerable better with the Variations.  They are described in considerable detail in the Program Notes (which are free, by the way) and are quite easy to follow.  What is impressive is the young cellist Moser (he was born in 1979.)  The auditorium is small, so I am sure it helps: but I was simply amazed at how he made the instrument sing with clarity and feeling.  Other than the high register notes, I don’t know how challenging the piece is for a virtuoso cellist, but Moser seems to know the piece like the back of his hand, and seems to relish playing it.  He should: per the Program Notes he won a Special Prize at the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition for the piece.

He played two encore pieces.  The first one is the Andante Cantabile adapted from Tchaikovsky’s String Quartet.  Even I could tell it was technically not difficult, but the piece highlighted how pleasant good cello playing could sound.  The second encore was a selection from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 (the Sarabande, I think).  That piece unfortunately didn’t do much for me, except to think “too much of a good thing.”  Paraphrasing what George said in a Seinfeld episode, you should leave with the audience wishing for more, rather than have them think enough already.

In any case, I am sure we will hear a lot more from him (or about him, at least.)

We have seen the ballet Romeo and Juliet a couple of times, and enjoyed both the choreography and the music.  Prokofiev took 20 numbers from the original score and formed them into two orchestral suites; he liked the idea so much that he added a third suite some ten years later.  (The ballet must be about 2 hours, so there was enough material to draw from.)  On top of that, conductors have compiled their own suites by picking from these three, and to add back some numbers that didn’t make its way into them.  Evidently tonight’s performance is one of those.

First let me list what was performed tonight: 

• Introduction (from the ballet).  Suggestion of early morning and beginning of play.
• Juliet as a young girl (Suite 2, No. 2).  Young, but beginning to come of age.
• Montagues aned Capulets (Suite 2, No. 1).  Hints at the upcoming tragedy.  One of the more memorable numbers in the ballet depicting the two families.
• Masks (Suite 1, No. 5).  Romeo and his friends gate-crashing a ball wearing masks.
• Gavotte (from the ballet).  Departure of guests from the masked ball.
• Romeo and Juliet (Suite 1, No. 6).  The famous balcony scene.
• Friar Laurence (Suite 2, No. 3).  The priest who tried to help the young lovers.
• Tybalt’s Death (Suite 1, No. 7).  Romeo kills Tybalt in anger, contributing to the on-going feud.

 The selection of the numbers does not make much sense if one wants to tell a story.  It works reasonably well as a musical number.  Of course, the Notes does not help as the listener would inevitably ask why it would conclude with Tybalt’s Death, other than this number's dramatic ending.  (I don’t remember how the ballet ends musically, but wonder it would provide an equally dramatic end to the Suite.)

I enjoyed it, and I am sure that knowing what the selection is trying to depict helped.  The applause afterwards was as enthusiastic as I ever heard from a Hong Kong audience.

This is the first time I heard (or heard of) the conductor Oleg Caetani.  He seemed a bit mechanical in his interpretation, and had to refer to his music constantly.  The thought that the HKPO is unfamiliar with his style crossed my mind initially – perhaps there is a ways for the orchestra to go yet, as I can’t imagine expressing similar sentiments with the New York Philharmonic or Boston Symphony.

One other curious fact.  The orchestra is quite large (10 cellos and 8 basses for the Prokofiev), and the concert hall is on the small side, yet the sound isn’t as deep as one would expect.  I wonder why.