Violins show the way in dialogue

With student protests next door and a National Day concert across the harbour, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta offered a politics-free alternative at City Hall in Central on Saturday night.

Under the baton of Swiss conductor Matthias Bamert, the flagship midsize orchestra returned to the basics and performed an all-German programme to an appreciative full house.

Bamert, who worked with the late Lorin Maazel at the Cleveland Orchestra, is no stranger to the city, having directed the HK Philharmonic and the Asian Youth Orchestra.

His seasoned musicality in the mainstream classical repertoire is evident in Metamorphosen, the masterpiece by Richard Strauss, whose 150th birthday is celebrated this year. Scored for 23 solo string instruments, the substantial work of more than half an hour reflects the cruelty of human suffering and vanity of life.

Despite a weak opening on the cellos, the strings blended into an organic whole. The sonic texture was rich, and solo passages by concertmaster James Cuddeford stood out for their solitude. The intensity heightened towards the end, with the diminuendo into silence superb.