Van Zweden mixes power and grace to exhilarating effect in Beethoven cycle’s opener

Ludwig van B. and Jaap van Z. go together like cream and sugar. The opening concert of the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s Beethoven symphonic cycle showed off conductor Jaap van Zweden’s winning mix of power and control and a distinct dash of dance-like grace.

Beethoven’s Symphony no. 8 in F was a good opener for the complete series of nine symphonies. Like a palate cleanser before the massive and definitive Ninth, it is light-hearted, understated and charming.

Van Zweden set a firm beat with room for delicate tempo changes. Beethoven had a way with the simple musical motto, in this case a bouncing octave jump. He used it for everything from subtle rhythmic propulsion to titanic, celestial donkey brays. All the players sounded their best, the cellos sang, the woodwinds were well balanced and the brass bold and clean.

Instead of a weighty slow movement, this symphony has a moderate Allegretto like a delightful ballet score. The woodwinds played their clockwork pulse with nice control and the echoing repartee from one side of the stage to the other was deftly done. The Menuetto was smoothly played by the strings, who showed fine detailing in phrasing. The brass and drums made a good team in the Trio section. The horns and clarinet sounded lovely over rolling arpeggios in the cellos.

In the final movement, Allegro Vivace, there was a slight lack of coordination in the very fast opening. The delicate tissue of the music was slightly frayed, marring the fine finish of the performance. Given the precision displayed elsewhere this was puzzling. But once the tempo was grasped, everything went enjoyably, and we entered Beethoven’s swirling universe of sudden thunder, horn calls and sweet peasant dances, ending with the octave motto and massive chords.

Symphony no. 3, Eroica, is almost twice as long as the 8th and twice as serious. In this piece Beethoven entered the Romantic era and pushed his ideas to the limit. The first two chords were properly bold. The opening idea in the cellos was underplayed and the sweeping answer of the violins came to the fore, an original and appealing choice. The tempo was ideal and created an irresistible momentum. The transitions from slashing chords to swaying dance were exhilarating.