Conductor and pianist Philippe Entremont shows Hong Kong he’s still got it
- 85-year-old Entremont took the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong through its paces last night in a rendering of an all-Beethoven concert
- While there were some balance problems among the instruments, Entremont led things in a manner in which Beethoven himself would have likely done
Most 85-year-olds are either in hospice care or living the quiet life surrounded by a network of supportive family and friends. Not so for one of the most recorded artists in history, who still travels the world as a conductor and solo pianist.
Unsurprisingly looking a little unsteady when he first shuffled on stage, Philippe Entremont took the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong through its paces in a rendering of an all-Beethoven concert.
The Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus began in shaky fashion, but settled once the strings hit the main Allegro. With only four celli and a pair of double basses, this disproportionate arrangement naturally resulted in a focus on the upper strings and, on occasion, swallowed the winds. Entremont nevertheless gave due attention to each of the sections and communicated his interpretations with minimal fuss.
For what most of the audience had come to see, Entremont took to the lidless piano and led the orchestra in a manner in which Beethoven himself would have likely done.
The reading of the concerto was somewhat prosaic however, with the weight afforded each of the keys not always consistent. The more technical passages were generally clean, but lacked the necessary sparkle expected in a work of this magnitude.