Turkish cellist Jamal Aliyev wows the crowd at his Hong Kong debut concerts, dazzling with his skill and virtuosity
- Aliyev showcased his technical brilliance and energy, supported first by pianists Evelyn Chang and Vanessa Wong, and later the Hong Kong Sinfonietta
- His first recital, Four Cities, was a whirlwind of contemporary and classical music. The second, ‘Cellomania’, was a celebration of classical composers
The first, a recital titled “Four Cities” presented by Premiere Performances on May 15, was a multicourse feast, with nine cello compositions accompanied by two pianists.
It was a lot to digest without an intermission, but with the highly compelling sound that Aliyev extracts from his stunning cello, made in 1700 by Giuseppe Guarneri, it was a recital to remember.
In both opening Nocturnes – by Chopin and Tchaikovsky respectively – Aliyev’s perfectly tempered vibrato was neither distracting nor self-serving, but merely a natural and integral part of his tonal and phrasal development. In Taiwan-born pianist Evelyn Chang, Aliyev also had an ideal partner, sensitive to the cellist’s emotional whims.
Lush late Romanticism took a back seat when both musicians immersed themselves in Fazil Say’s fascinating Four Cities – a recollection of the Ankara-born composer and pianist’s memories of four Turkish cities, with a whirlwind depiction of a Horon – a Turkish wedding dance – and the dazzling display by Aliyev in Hopa.