Review | Constant clapping of Hong Kong audience interrupts brilliant Mozart Clarinet Concerto performance by Gilad Harel and Hong Kong Sinfonietta
- The applause between every movement ruined the segues in soloist Gilad Harel’s sublime performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta
- The same overenthusiasm punctuated the orchestra’s performance of Dvorak’s eighth symphony, in which the strings excelled but the brass had some issues
Hong Kong City Hall was abuzz with positive vibes on Saturday evening. Concertgoers were eagerly anticipating Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s simply titled programme, “Mozart Clarinet Concerto”, conducted by UK-born Jason Lai and featuring Israeli clarinettist Gilad Harel as guest soloist.
But first, the full house was treated to Mozart’s overture to La Clemenza di Tito (The Clemency of Titus). Why this piece remains on the fringes of today’s concert repertoire is a mystery. Its worthiness as a rousing opener is undeniable and well proven by the Sinfonietta with Lai at the helm.
The opening C major chords were compact and aptly regal, the quavers and downward scales were crisply articulated in the strings, and Lai’s subtle infusion of crescendo and diminuendo swells helped lend the overture some Mozartian flair and elegance.
But judging by the rapturous reception for Israeli clarinettist Gilad Harel in his first appearance with the orchestra, it was fairly clear that the Mozart people really came to hear was the universally revered Clarinet Concerto in A major.
Had there been no clapping when he stepped onto the stage, the orchestra’s charming Allegro tutti introduction alone would have sufficed as a welcoming embrace for the soloist.