Hong Kong Philharmonic deliver monumental Mahler and Shostakovich 10th symphonies under van Zweden’s baton

A well-constructed account of the opening movement of Mahler’s unfinished symphony was followed by a fast-paced reading of the Shostakovich work

Contributions from the principal flute and French horn stood out

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Jaap van Zweden conducts the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall on December 14, a concert featuring two movements from Mahler’s incomplete 10th symphony and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10. Photo: Ka Lam/HK Phil

Published: 4:30pm, 16 Dec 2019Updated: 4:30pm, 16 Dec 2019

Perhaps for programming reasons, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra opted for the truncated and less often performed Willem Mengelberg version of Mahler’s incomplete Symphony No. 10. Pitted with Shostakovich’s 10th symphony, this was an evening devoted to monumental music.

The orchestra delivered a well-constructed and gratifying account of Mahler’s Adagio first movement. From the opening notes for violas, its music director, Jaap van Zweden, drew bleakness and longing – a prelude to a movement of contrasts. Particularly worthy was the interplay achieved between swirling strings and French horns, with a countermelody.

Despite van Zweden’s best intentions, the Purgatorio third movement does not work in Mengelberg’s realisation. It is clearly incomplete. This was a jarring close to the first half of the concert.

Van Zweden’s opening to the Shostakovich was fast, and perhaps caught the lower strings somewhat off guard. The tempo did not allow the solo clarinet to fully capture the emotions of the movement’s first subject. However, principal flute Megan Sterling found the necessary warmth and projection in her instrument’s lowest register to introduce the second subject.

Jaap van Zweden conducts the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in an evening of Mahler and Shostakovich. Photo: Ka Lam/HK Phil

A highlight of the third movement was principal horn Jiang Lin’s solo, which brought significance and understated passion to its “Elmira” motif (Elmira Nazirova was a student of the composer at the time he was writing the work with whom he fell in love). It was a pity that a subsequent muted repeat of the motif was delivered too softly, confounding Shostakovich’s intention of conveying distance.