Before and After
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Date reviewed: November 26
The laconic title for this concert presumably referred to the fact that the works on offer were written either side of the second world war.
Britten's Violin Concerto and Prokofiev's Symphony No 5 have a combined performance time of about 75 minutes, but one would not even think of trying to squeeze them into a single-span event because of their unremitting intensity.
Written in 1938, the Britten concerto needs a good interval to digest the turmoil of the pacifist composer as he senses imminent global horror, and there is no hiding place in this work for any soloist with a technical weak spot. Simone Lamsma is an accomplished young violinist and made light of all the obstacles in Britten's score.
She also secured an impeccable unanimity with the orchestra under conductor Jaap van Zweden. She was less successful, however, in tapping the angst that fostered the work.
After an engaging first movement, the rest of the performance made a limited connection with the chemistry at work beneath the notes.