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With Tedi Papavrami

Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall

Reviewed: May 15

The Hong Kong Sinfonietta has been  a mainstay of Le French May  in recent years, making regular appearances in the  main classical concerts with often high-calibre soloists.

This year,  the Sinfonietta introduced Albanian violinist Tedi Papavrami,  who gave a suave and technically assured rendition of Edouard Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole.

Papavrami's lean tone, supple vibrato, natural sense of rhythm and graceful phrasing brought a fresh breeze to the colourful Spanish landscape of this concert favourite - although  it sometimes cooled the heat so much  as to turn passion into aloofness. The encore, Eugene Ysaye's Sonata No3  for solo violin, was played with equal virtuosity plus more tension and voltage.

The orchestra, under Yip Wing-sie,  played along rather than accompanied Papavrami with any significant sense of rapport. It didn't do much better with the concert opener, Erik Satie's Parade (which was written for the ballet, with the Picasso backdrop that was exhibited in Hong Kong in October).

The work is decked with witty gimmicks such as a typewriter as a percussion instrument. Sadly, the Sinfonietta just played the notes without conveying enough of the score's pungency.

But it was another story with Brahms' Symphony No4, the only work in the second half. The Sinfonietta played with an opulent sound and a coherent blend of tone colours, despite the texture being occasionally a bit messy.

It was a fluent and dramatic performance with appreciable solo playing (such as from the flute desk). The Sinfonietta has progressed in  recent years, but can deliver uneven performances, even within the same concert. And this one was no exception.



Hong Kong Sinfonietta