Myung-Whun Chung, the conductor touring with the Concertgebouw to Hong Kong and Shanghai, may not be immediately associated with German romantic works; instead he is best known for his colourful and careful interpretations of the late French composer Olivier Messiaen, whom Mr. Chung has had a close working relation. His recordings of Messiaen, including the Turangalîla-Symphonie, Des canyons aux étoiles and Trois Petites Liturgies, released on occasion of Messiaen centenary anniversary, are among the finest interpretations.

Why not Messiaen in Hong Kong? I do not have a chance to ask the conductor himself (I haven’t requested for that anyway). It is never a wild idea either. Sir Simon Rattle brought Hong Kong an evening of Turangalîla back in 1991, when he toured to the Hong Kong Arts Festival with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. And Sir Rattle is surely a great Messiaen interpreter of the generation as well.

We understand that there are lots of factors to consider while programming a world tour. But with Myung-Whun Chung in Hong Kong conducting Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms, it is somehow as surreal as hearing Arthur Rubinstein playing in a recital of anything but Chopin. It is beyond doubt that they are all great musicians. But it is sad that we do not have an opportunity to experience Mr. Chung with the music that claim him to great artistic achievement.

The concert opens with Der Freischütz Overture with a rich tone that is not frequently resonating in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre concert hall. The firm double bass pizzicato with the timpani strokes are profoundly delightful to hear. The music has a well controlled thrust, though the orchestra sometimes lacks refinement in individual voices. The Unfinished Symphony of Franz Schubert is more held back and relaxed, with focuses shifted on the beauty of melodic lines and the subtle waves of inner textures.

Brahms’ D-major symphony concludes the concert. Mr. Chung’s expansive layout of the first movement reminds me of late Kurt Sanderling, who has also taken a careful approach in contemplating the inner tension of the symphony instead of working out to pump up heart beats. It is not always effective though, as the general effectiveness of phrasing not as ideal as the beginning Der Freischütz. However individual instrument shines with superb solo, particularly the beautiful horn solo of the first movement that brings the movement to a subtly emotional close.

The Brahms presented here is not a figure of conflicting persona of shining lyricism and deep melancholy; that contradictory existence may be over-dramatic, but this is not a calm rendition either. There are times of unrest, especially in the second movement when the music quickly travels afar to B minor and G minor with a rumbling bass, the beauty of the melody is never challenged. Melodically speaking, the second symphony is perhaps the most delightful of all symphonies, giving it a cheerful candy-wrap. The Royal Concertgebouw makes a good balance in making the melodies splendid, not making it too fancy nor too serious. That said, the performance has not explored all the emotion corners laid down in the symphonic map. It is an effective performance, but somehow it is a few newtons short in making Brahms a great impact.

The concert ends with an encore of Brahms’ first Hungarian Dance, a natural choice out of instinct with lively and energetic music concluding the first concert of two in the 40th Hong Kong Arts Festival.

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Date: February 13, 2012
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Photo © Hans Samsom; Myung-Whun Chung photo © Riccardo Musacchio

With a humble appearance, the calmness of Kun Woo Paik stands great contrast with his splendid virtuosity. He performs all solo piano works of Maurice Ravel in one evening at the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Festival.

This is not the first all-Ravel recital; Mary Wu, the then artist-in-residence of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, challenged this task in a campus performance back in 2004, with all four major multi-movement works in one evening. Mr. Paik goes one step further with performing all shorter pieces together along with Le tombeau de Couperin, Gaspard de la nuit, Sonatine and Miroirs. The no-pause performance from one piece to another dwarfs the exhilarating show-piece Jeux d’eau into just a tiny creature.

The programming, albeit single-mindedly all-inclusive, is thoughtful. Mr. Paik dedicates the first part of the concert to the works tracing back to the classical era or earlier. Menuet antique, Ravel’s first published work, sets the tone of traversing the oeuvre of the composer who is equally known as an impressionist and classicist. Born to a Swiss watchmaker father and a Basque mother, Ravel is always an interesting mix of passion and precision. Menuet antique looks way back to the galant menuet, something that even Mozart might be unfamiliar. With this piece, Ravel’s harmonic language matures into his very own. After the shorter Prélude and Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn, Mr. Paik plays Jeux d’eau with a delicate touch. Le tombeau follows, however, not as effective; at times the music sounds rough and the attention the articulations distracted. The Toccata is a usual flare of virtuosity with dots of scars at the bass.

After the break the unevenness of the first part vanishes. Perhaps the choice of music suits him best; with Valse noble et sentimentale and Gaspard de la nuit, this part turns the focus to Ravel’s other half of passions and grandeur. The sensual rubato wonderfully waltzes with the subtle colouring of interwoven melodies. Mr. Paik’s grasp of melodies spanned through the whole keyboard and sonority of immense depth makes way into Gaspard, which is a breathtaking success. The shimmering water of Ondine vividly sets the scene of a wavy lake under the sun with the fairy appears causing ripples after ripples. Mr. Paik finds no difficulty in the quick reiterations of chords and the sweeping runs, which make this one of the most demanding music of the piano repertoire. The suspense of Le gibet is less terrifying as it may have been, with the ostinato ringing from afar and the tension toned down. The subtle change of tone colour, however, is a marvel. It is not only a technical display in Scarbo but a thrilling saga told with superb command. It indeed is one of the most memorable Ravel that I have encountered.

The third part continues with the most famous Pavane pour une infante défunte. The dense chords are toned down and the music rendered is calm. Mr. Paik’s heavy touch and deep sonority go surprisingly well with the Sonatine, which is classical in design yet highly dramatic. The five movements of Miroirs concludes with a showcase of Mr. Paik’s virtuosity in every way he could; from the introspective Oiseaux triste to the sarcastic (yet sometimes reflective) Alborada del gracioso, the most impressive piece goes to Une barque sur l’océan, another watery music of a lone boat on a stormy sea. This is also one of the most impressive performances when it comes to make piano fluid and rippling. From the deepest void Mr. Paik concludes with the La vallée des cloches, again with distant bells, this time even more muffled. Perhaps it is climatically unfavourable to end a concert with the softest and most introverted piece among Ravel’s piano work, this also shows the true self of Mr. Paik and his virtuosity humbly radiating from his sound.

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Date: February 11, 2012
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Photo © Yun Jung-hee

Having been a classical music CD buyer for 20 years, I frequently run into hesitation when confronted with a new “complete edition” boxset. Among those tens of CDs in a boxset, I often have two to three CDs on my shelf and I have spent some good cash buying that lone discs quite some years back. With a sense of guilt of buying some duplicate items, hesitation prevails and the sets would have gone after a flash mob in CD stores.

But this reissue of Sergiu Celibidache’s recordings on EMI is uniquely different. I bought all four sets immediately days after it was shelved in store.

The reason? Ridiculously, I do not have a single EMI Celibidache that far.

Celibidache’s performance is eclectic. David Hurwitz once remarked, “All in all, like most of the ‘mad genius; conductors, Celibidache’s work ranges erratically from the stunning to the grotesque.” I first approached this genius by his very expansive and refined Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. That was a decade and a half ago, while Celibidache was still alive and his recordings not officially released on big labels. It was a time I could have mistook him a long dead forgotten legend.

No one could have imagined that even EMI, one of the biggest studios and recording producers, would be taken over and auctioned like an apartment after its mortgage left unpaid.

These four boxsets are now sold under a total of HK$1,000. This is simply too attractive to resist.

Special thanks to Antona who has reserved me a set. She has a wonderful fans club of great followers.

Lawrence Rene conducts the HKPO, replacing Edo de Waart who has a medical condition. The opening Mozart tends to be literal. He follows all the repeats, which is not a common practice for Mozart symphonies. Sometimes it would sound a bit too long, and I would suggest that it’s because Rene’s rendition is not the most inviting.

The second half dedicates to Gustav Mahler. Stuart Skelton’s bright and brave sound resonates and the audience nods with immediate approval. Michelle DeYoung is intimate, and she sounds much more intense than she is in the recordings. Mahler’s low registers are tricky, but Ms. DeYoung manages to reach down the lows. The orchestra restores with energy and vigour.

I seldom complain about early outburst of applause, but for Das Lied it would be add an extra layer of annoyance. The applause abruptly breaks the lengthy morendo and effectively ruins the ending. I do not expect magic silence for every transpiring piece, but Mahler pens the notes to disappear in the air, with the applause simply shoots the balloons, that rising to heaven, down.

Ladies and gentlemen, give thanks to the breath you have, you are now on earth!

Enough nostalgia, and here I come, for yet another Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) concert, featuring their music director Richard Pontzious conducting a hundred young musicians coming from territories around Asia. I always enjoy listening to the AYO. You can see devoted eyes fixed at the conductor, giving out their best with their instruments, with dedication unrivaled by many orchestras with a rostered season. You can expect an energetic, sometimes coarse but always committed performance of truly admirable standard.

There were years with surprises. The 2008 Shostakovich Fifth was memorably vivacious. A Mahler first years ago was stunningly great. When they have a right repertoire, they often bring the best energy of it, grenade it out with no mercy. That’s the excitement of being young.

But for this one, with Sergey Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s fourth symphony, it is somehow tricky. The Classical Symphony is neither rapturously fresh, nor it is perfectly refined. As we often say, this is “neither here nor there.” Sometimes I feel the tempo rather strange; a fluctuating gavotte, for example. But overall this is a fine symphony featuring some great solos in the orchestras.

The tempo problem becomes worse for Tchaikovsky. An intended hold of the quaver F in the beginning horn call takes me as a big surprise. The deliberate rubato, or liberty in tempo, is not something easy to go with ears familiar with the work. This discomfort is not something to go away as music proceeds. Mr. Pontzious takes quite much liberty, with rubato, incalzando, con moto or meno mosso around, and not all the tempo fluctuations are naturally understandable, if not sometimes puzzling.

With Tchaikovsky, however, no one is expecting an underwhelmed performance. The orchestra is always ready at full thrust, salting on the most heartbroken moments and glorifying the victorious times. The brass players are glistering, perfectly accurate and making confident noises. The woodwind is more uneven, but the solo players are shining through the dense soundscape. The melancholic theme of the second movement, squarely phrased but irregularly marked with breathing marks, is heard with the players managing so well the awkwardly articulated phrase. With razor sharp percussions at the back, the thunderous finale surely brings the house down.

Violinist Stefan Jackiw delivered a clean and amiable performance of two solo pieces, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso and Carmen Fantasy based on Georges Bizet’s opera.

This is the first time ever in AYO’s history playing in the City Hall. Great acoustic, great sound, the hall is always better than the Cultural Centre across the harbour, citing quick renovation as a reason. Good thing.

The now programme book and the 1995 CD featuring Beethoven’s ninth symphony.

[Update: The concert is broadcast on RTHK Radio 4 which may be heard here.]

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Date: August 21, 2011
Venue: Hong Kong City Hall

Orchestra Photo © Asian Youth Orchestra

The high-standard, refined musicking by the Hong Kong choir Die Konzertisten is surprising and gratifying. This is perhaps the best Bach delivered by a chorus made up of predominantly Hong Kong singers. It is not perfect; they were overwhelmed by a medium-sized orchestra at glorious tutti like Cum sancto spiritu, and they could have firmer diction over Kyrie eleison. But they managed to deliver the music with a perfectly blended voice, natural phrasings and utmost devotions. The two-hour Mass poses challenge to the stamina of every person who sings in it, but they managed to keep the energy and intensity till the end.

Helmuth Rilling celebrated the Mass with assertiveness and effectiveness that brought substantial quality to the performance. His economical gesture invited subtle responses from the musicians, both the choir and the orchestral musicians of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, which transpired the muses. The result is a solid, integral Bach.

I was not in the concert hall while the music was happening; I recorded for a radio broadcast that happened yesterday. You may listen to the broadcast here.

Two anecdotes. Shortly before the concert, I wrote on my Facebook wall complaining the name “B minor Mass” that the presenter has stubbornly used. As an editor I would have called it “Mass in B minor” in formal context, including the programme listing and essays. And as a presenter, I would limit myself in printing claims like “authoritative interpretation” in promotional materials only and refrain it from the programme book, not to mention the cover.

The concerts include :-

• October 6: An opening evening with Mahler eighth conducted by Charles Dutoit. China Philharmonic Orchestra is the main drive.
• October 7: A Mahler chamber concert by American Curtis Chamber Orchestra with some mysterious programmes. Perhaps Quartettsatz?
• October 8: Uri Caine will play Urlicht with his jazz band.
• October 9: Sumi Jo sings in a recital “From Vivaldi to Mahler.” (She’s singing in the Mahler eighth also as Mater Gloriosa)
• October 10: Shenyang sings in a recital with Austro-Germanic repertoire. Perhaps with some Mahlers.
• October 12: Daniel Harding conducts China Philharmonic with Mahler fourth. Sumi Jo sings again.
• October 14: Li Xincao conducts China National Symphony Orchestra with Mahler ninth. It’s a memorial concert for Li Delun, a Chinese conductor pioneer who died ten years ago.
• October 15: Manfred Honeck conducts Mahler second. Both soloists would be Chinese. Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra is paired up with Chorus of Shanghai Opera House.
• October 16: Myung-Whun Chung conducts Shanghai Symphony with Mahler sixth.
• October 17: Tan Lihua conducts Mahler tenth. No specification on which version would be played, though mysteriously there’s a baritone in the bill. Beijing Symphony Orchestra is the main drive.
• October 18: Yuri Termikanov conducts China Philharmonic in Mahler third.
• October 23: After a break with some other concerts there comes Das Lied von der Erde. Li Liuyi is the stage director; do expect deviations from a normal concert setting. Maybe Warren Mok and Liao Changyong will dress like T’ang poets while they sing? Yang Yang conducts the China Philharmonic Orchestra.
• October 25: Helmuth Rilling with Bach-Collegium Stuttgart and Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart. What will they do? “Mahler Meets Bach.”
• October 26: Mahler seventh with Lan Shui conducts the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
• October 27: After the Hong Kong recital Anne Sofie von Otter will sing in Beijing. With Pekka Kuusisto mysteriously present on the bill, I doubt if the concert has the same programme with Hong Kong.
• October 28: Surprisingly Eliahu Inbal also joins the game with Mahler first. Singapore Symphony Orchestra performs.
• October 29: Christoph Eschenbach conducts Mahler fifth, also flying with him Matthias Goerne. They would be appearing in Hong Kong with Vienna Philharmonic in early October, but in Beijing they will be performing with China Philharmonic.
• October 30: The closing concert features Riccardo Muti and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra with an unspecified programme.

The long list is consolidated from a more complete list here.

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Photo: Charles Dutoit by The New York Times; Christoph Eschenbach by the LA Phil

The concert is, at the moment of writing this article, totally sold out. That’s eight hours after box opens.

Matthias Goerne is featured in the Hong Kong concert with eleven Wunderhorn songs of Gustav Mahler. Curiously, the orchestra is playing Anton Bruckner’s Fourth at the other side of Pearl River, in Macao International Music Festival. Top price is five-hundred bucks short of Hong Kong (MOP1,500, US$186).

You may consider to go for a Bruckner evening instead. Give a shot at the casinos too.

As reported earlier, the festival will have the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Bavarian State Opera performing Così fan tutte. What’s new would be the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra would also come with a programme of Anton Bruckner and Franz Schubert at the main bills. Finnish soprano Karita Mattila will sing in a recital with a good mix of Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss and, of course, Jean Sibelius.

The biggest musical attraction to me, though, would be the long-awaited The Sixteen with Harry Christophers. George Friderich Handel is never my cup of tea, but Christophers’ sophistication in interpretation and vitality of making music will not fail to dazzle.

Also noteworthy would be Kun-Woo Paik’s complete Ravel piano work recital. He played the same three-hour-long repertoire in Guangzhou’s Xinghai Hall in this year’s March. Failing to notice that, the Hong Kong recital would be the second chance.

Full programme of the festival will be out in October.

Antoni Wit has recorded a legendary amount of audio disc on Naxos, but seldom is he seen on video on international release, not least Youtube.

Here it is, featuring maestro Wit in the title. And with a very great repertoire.

This is perhaps the first release of the symphonies of the Polish symphonist Karol Szymanowski on DVD. At long last the mysterious, gigantic third symphony, also known as “Song of the Night,” is pictured. The symphony sets words from poetry by the Arabic Jalāl ad-Dīn ar-Rūmī translated to Polish. While Gustav Mahler did the same with his Das Lied von der Erde, playing around the pentatonicism with the Chinese poetry in a much Westernized tone, Szymanowski did not attempt any direct reference with the Arab music. Instead, the symphony invokes an aura of sensuality and mysticism through colourful harmonies and fluid orchestration.

The fourth symphony, dedicated to Arthur Rubinstein with the title “symphonie concertante,” is a Bartókian concerto featuring a robust piano solo. The mysticism evaporates with a vigorous, sometimes rustic dynamic in the music.

The symphonies are tastefully done by the Wit with detailed crafts on harmonies and musical details. The glistering harmony is further enriched by a deep reverberation of the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.

There are really many lovely things from ICA Classics. Keep a close eye on this label.