Stormy Mozart, Sunny Brahms
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
HK Cultural Centre Concert Hall
Reviewed: May 6
The forecast in the title of this concert conducted by Douglas Boyd was at least accurate with regard to the exceptional performance of Brahms' Serenade No 1, delivered and received with all the warmth it deserved; punters who failed to fill the seats in large numbers lost out on this occasion.
Detractors of the youthful work say it straddles the fence between Beethoven's shadow (stylistic quotes pop out unabashed) and the promise of Brahm's later riches; in the right hands, however, the work makes a convincing argument for being aired much more frequently. One challenge (ably met) is that five of the six movements are on the fast side; fail to hit the correct tempi, and you fail to communicate the subtle difference in character between each.
If the second subject of the opening movement seemed short on tenderness, and the movement as a whole lacked a definitive climactic point, these were small niggles in an interpretation that otherwise hardly put a foot wrong.
The slow movement was truly lovely, with impressive passages of dynamic restraint that never lost the intensity of character; the elusive personality of the finale was similarly captured through a perfect balance of swagger and decorum.
The work's recurring rusticity throws a responsibility onto the horns and woodwind that the players handled with spirit and accuracy, and it's been a while since the string section as a whole sounded on such good form, with focused intonation and a spread of tone colours contributing significantly to the success of the performance.