In Memory of an Angel (6 May 2011)

Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall

Conductor: Okko Kamu

Violinist: Viviane Hagner

Programme:

Richard Strauss - Death and Transfiguration, Op.24

Alban Berg - Violin Concerto

Johannes Brahms - Symphony No.1 in C minor, Op.68

It was my first time listening to Death and Transfiguration, and I found it quite enjoyable. My feelings are a big contrast to an ang moh lady sitting beside me though - she frequently sat up and waved her hands with an expression of rapture, as if she was also conducting the orchestra. And I thought to myself, "uhh, is it really that good?" 

The second piece was performed by Munich-born Viviane Hagner. I find that I should comment on this piece in two categories - the music itself, and the violinist's performance. Firstly, the piece.

The first 8 notes dampened my mood considerably - 4 notes ascending in perfect 5th intervals, followed by another 4 notes descending in perfect 5th intervals again. It sounded as if she was tuning her violin, and once I heard it, I knew that this was "one of those pieces" again. Berg composed it in such a way that consonance and dissonance is strong, and this is the kind of music I dislike, though it was nowhere near Yuan Peiying's Through Bifocals for Orchestra in the previous concert I attended. I even checked what era Berg was from; he lived from 1885 to 1935. I half expected him to be still alive, as this kind of music is more frequently from modern composers! Contrast this with Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949). They sounded like they lived at least half a century apart.

According to the concert introduction, Berg composed this piece as a "heart-wrenching response to the death of the 18 year old Manon Gropius, whose mother was his mentor Mahler's widow". Somehow, I can't feel this at all.

Secondly, on Viviane Hagner's performance. I must say that she managed to salvage the piece somewhat - her confidence and control of the violin was astounding. It was a pity that she was performing this piece; if it had been a more 'normal' piece I would have enjoyed it. In fact, she played a piece by Bach for her encore, and it was so much better!

Finally, Brahms Symphony No.1 in C minor. I loved the opening for the first movement, Un poco sostenuto - Allegro, especially the steady beats from the timpani. The strings were impressive, but the woodwind brought them down somewhat as they were occasionally uncoordinated and messy.

For the final movement, Adagio - Piu andante - Allegro non troppo ma con brio - there was a tendency for the strings to rush, but this was always quickly kept under control by Okko. The pizzicatos were impressively neat, but the trombone trio was, more often than out, out of sync with each other. This was especially obvious when they were playing "A E E F ... F G F F E F" (all in the same octave from C). I cringed at the first note as they came in half a second off.

Other than the woodwinds, I must say that overall, this symphony was well performed. While there were minor mistakes, these were kept to a minimum. Most importantly, the mood was there, especially when the symphony reached its powerful conclusion.