Concert Review: HKPO-Wang Yujia-Tang Muhai

Concert Review: HKPO-Wang Yuja-Tang Muhai

June 26, 2010, CCCH 香港文化中心
香港管弦樂團-湯沐海-王羽佳
Prokofiev - Rimsky-Korsakov

I was unfortunately out-of-town for Wang Yuja's last recital. My friend's words of mouth became my envy. Finally I was able to catch up with this young talent, who had seemingly come out of nowhere to shake the piano world, and she largely did not disappoint.

The Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 deploys a huge orchestra and is a definite challenge for any soloist. Conductor Tang Muhai made no concession to his soloist with a blazing accompaniment. Rather than fighting against the orchestra, as a lesser soloist is wont to do, Wang Yuja was an equal partner. Her phenomenal storming ability in the percussive passages and unusually strong bass ensured that she could be heard in tutti. Even more satisfying was the sense of partnership; soloist and orchestra showed interplay, as well as integration in the many concertante moments. A mature fluidity belied her age. If there is anything that I had reservation about, it is that in the notes beneath the mezzo level her piano tone was curiously not as strong and full-bodied, even vacuous. This made her indistinctive in the softer passages. Here her sforzando's were also not pointed enough. Indeed, despite her percussive prowess, her Prokofiev was remarkably smooth, perhaps a bit too much so for me. The first encore happened to be one of Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petroushka, her CD of which we had played earlier in the afternoon at a friend's house. Her performance was much like the recording, and I agree with Andrew Clement's review in the Guardian, that it was "...lightweight and never remotely dramatic...". The second encore, Chopin, on the other hand, was quite beautiful, if just a little too manicured and short of haunting.

The conductor deserves great credit for the coherence of the concerto. Tang Muhai had a thorough grasp of the Prokofiev style. His rhythmic exactitude, precise dynamic gradation and fastidious balance of voices similarly brought forth an uncommonly involving Prokofiev Symphony No. 1. The "Haydnesque" elements were very much in evidence. There were slashing accents, a singing line and bouts of high drama, indeed sturm und drang.

The conductor's virtues were also very much in evidence in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scherherazade. He brought out much precision and fine details, and the orchestra played with great virtuosity. Yet I agree with an acquaintance that a little something was lacking. He said the four sections of the score seemed rather unrelated and an overall coherence was lacking. I personally would not dwell on that but did think a little more 陰 to balance out the 陽 would be beneficial. I also think rhythmically the percussive and stormy passages were too four-square, and despite the power too careful by half. I would prefer a little more abandon even at the cost of a little precision. But then this is a rather common failing of the HKPO (and EdW). John Harding was an interesting soloist but his portrait of the protagonist was not necessarily feminine. All in all, a very fine concert.

The HKPO played very well. The horns and brass were splendid. Andrew Simon has been away but for this and the last concert I greatly enjoyed (I always do) the tasteful clarinet playing of John Schertle. This was also one of the very few times that I liked the playing of oboist Michael Wilson (in the Scheherazade).

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra