As encore Ehnes performed Ysaye's Sonata No. 3, Op. 27
Program
... aux cendres (2024) by Angus Lee (b. 1992).
Violin Concerto in D, op. 35 by Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).
Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, op. 100 by Prokofiev (1891-1953).
I was visiting Hong Kong for the week and found out about this concert. With the Tchaikovsky violin concerto and Prokofiev's fifth symphony on the program, attending the concert was an easy decision. Angus Lee is a young composer based in Hong Kong, so I am somewhat curious how his music would come across. As if the deal needed to be sealed, Elim Chan has been mentioned a lot in the US press recently, and this would be my first encounter with her conducting. To set the expectations high, this is a concert in the "Swire Maestro" series (maestra?), implying Chan to be in that league. Other conductors in this series are van Zweden, Petrenko, and Paavo Jarvi. So Chan is in good company.
One major caveat. Today is December 7, a full two weeks after the event. For someone who has trouble remembering what happened the day before, this concert is a distant memory. I do think my general impression remains valid, but specifics may be incorrect. And, this is one of four concerts I attended in the past two weeks, so the writeup will also be brief.
Overall, this was a good concert, but in my opinion didn't live up to the hype (admittedly a lot of that was my own). Daniel, who attended the event as well, said afterwards it was rare to see concerts with musicians performing at such a high level. Having been to many concerts (and I am restricting my reference points to HK Phil concerts), I wouldn't have characterized tonight's as such.
Now some specific take-aways.
I attended the pre-concert talk by Joanna Lee, who explained what to listen for in music. For the Angus Lee piece, she emphasized rhythm and timbre. Good selection, as looking for melody and harmony is likely a futile exercise. I am surprised she didn't mention instrumentation/orchestration, though; the piece used quite a few percussion instruments (too bad the Program only lists "percussion"), a piano, and a harp. This piece was dedicated to Elim Chan, and was written a companion piece to one premiered in June, serving as an attempt to overcome a repressed, traumatic memory to that imaginary event. Deep thoughts that would require a lot more analysis and explanation for me to grasp, if at all. The composer went on to describe his work in the most inscrutable way, concluding that the "diptych" pays homage to the one by Kaija Saariaho, who passed away last year.
One would think this chart applies to more than just "new" music.
Yes, people can misjudge how great a piece may end up being. The implication that same situation applies to the Angus Lee piece is a bit on the "are you kidding me" side.
Why was it necessary to title the piece the way he did? Nothing wrong with "to the ashes," and I won't even object to no upper case for "to."
I have no recollection at all of what I heard. And it is likely that if I listen to it again it would sound all new. The best I can say about it is "I don't mind listening to it again."
The composer acknowledging the audience.
Ehnes is certainly a virtuoso violinist who gives a strong vibe of "nothing fazes me, it's just another day at the office." That posture worked very well when he played Beethoven, and if one had one's eyes closed listening to tonight's Tchaikovsky. I wasn't looking for a violinist moving all over the podium, but a live performance is more than a purely "aural" experience. There is no doubt that the piece was well-performed, but I somehow felt something missing. It didn't help the violin - a Strad - sounded weak, even in the intimate setting of the Concert Hall. (I have made similar remarks about the sound of this violin before.) For encore Ehnes played Ysaye's Violin Op. 27 Sonata No. 3. I heard "Ysaye," the rest of the tune identification was done by Google.
I am not familiar with any of Prokofiev's symphonies. The Program provides some interesting information on both the composer and the piece. The structure of the piece was described in some detail. Written during WWII, it mostly reflected the defiance and celebration felt by Prokofiev as the war drew towards a close. During the premiere performance, conducted by the composer, one could hear in the distance artillery fire. It turned out to be a celebration of the Red Army's victorious entry into Germany. (I got this from the Program.) I didn't read the Program in advance of the performance, and didn't get either the structure or the emotions involved after I read the Program. Some additional listening is required.
After the Tchaikovsky violin concerto.
Elim Chan at the end of the concert. The audience was very appreciative of a local girl making it to the international stage.
As to how well Elim Chan did, I must say the overall concert wasn't extraordinary. If one goes with the adage that the conductor adds a few percent to the orchestra's performance, I felt that percentage was small.
I met up with Daniel L at American Club's Central location for coffee and snacks before heading over to the Cultural Center for the pre-concert talk. I also ran into Sonny Y right before the concert started. I stopped by a Causeway Bay cafe for beef noodles at around 11 pm, before heading back to the apartment.
This is not a food blog. But I was famished by 11 pm, so this tasted very good.
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