Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival
Tchaikovsky's string sextet Souvenir de Florence brought the 4th Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival to a close on Wednesday with a meaty performance by the ad hoc ensemble of Ning Feng and Michael Guttman (both on violin), Toby Hoffmann and Andrew Ling (viola), and Leonard Elschenbroich and Richard Bamping (cello).
The spontaneous applause tripped by the exhilarating first movement was entirely understandable; I would have got stuck in myself if I hadn't had pen and paper in hand.
Feng, Hoffmann and Elschenbroich gave excellent service in their anchor roles, but it was the subtle interaction between all the players that created the party atmosphere.
Joined by pianist Denis Kozhukhin, the Jerusalem Quartet's faithful account of Shostakovich's Piano Quintet opus 57 sprang no surprises, but the sweet, clear-cut tone of first violinist Alexander Pavlovsky and Kozhukhin's judicious dovetailing of the piano's role within the fabric were constant pluses.