Trpceski in Double Rachmaninov Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall Reviewed: Jan 29
Two questions hung in the air: would conductor Lu Jia be as impressive in this all-Rachmaninov programme as he was when he directed the Hong Kong Philharmonic last June? And would the young Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski (below, with Lu) show us why he has critics scrambling for superlatives? Trpceski's technique is formidable, not just in the way he dispatches the fireworks, but how everything ultimately serves the music, be it poetic or cerebral.
The 24 variations in Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini were rolled out with academic precision; unusually, there was barely a hint of rubato but the result was a highly enjoyable, assured performance. Orchestra and soloist were at one in both grouting the cracks between variations and giving them apt colouring.
The slow movement of Piano Concerto No 1 might have attracted more of that colouration, stirring the issue of how conductor and soloist agree on an overall view of the work, created by a teenage Rachmaninov and revised in his maturity. The second and third movements take on a life of their own more readily when contrasted with a blockbuster opening, but both Trpceski and Lu exercised some discretion with few heart-on-sleeve orchestral sweeps and caution in taking the piano to top gear outside the cadenza.
The opener, symphonic poem Prince Rostislav, connected with its folklore atmosphere, but the work's keystone - Rostislav's desperate cries from a watery grave - required more crackle to offset the lush mystery arching either side.
Using Caprice Bohemien for the final item was a gamble. The work rambles for 15 minutes echoing the itinerant gypsy life it depicts and, despite the scintillating close, Lu struggled to sell it as a showstopper.