Concert Review: Shenzhen SO -Zhang Guoyong - Shostakovich

Concert Review: Shenzhen SO - Zhang Guoyong - Shostakovich

17 June, 2011, Shenzhen Concert Hall
Zhang Guoyong 張囯勇 -Gao Tianyang 高天陽
All Shostakovich

For the world, I wouldn't miss most Shostakovich concerts, not to say one conducted by the wonderful Zhang Guoyong 张国勇, whom I wrote about in great length after hearing his magnificent performance last year of Shostakovich Symphony No. 15.

That valedictory performance of an enigmatic work still resounds in my mind as if freshly minted. For this concert, I applaud Zhang for choosing yet another enigmatic work from the composer's cannon. Shostakovich symphony No. 6 seems to be gaining in status, and I refer you to this plainspoken but excellent program note for more info.

This symphony is difficult to bring off in concert or on records. Despite my profound admiration for Zhang, I regret to say I found the performance not entirely successful. Needless to say, Zhang shaped the piece well, and the orchestra played very well for him, but the work needs more management than usual, more color, more sarcasm, and less politeness when called for. Ultimately, the performance lacked the magic brought by the wonderful Mark Elder in a 2008 performance with the HKPO.

A similar plainness marred the performance of the Violin Concerto No. 1. I felt the 19 year-old soloist Gao Tiangyang 高天阳 was technically secure but he not surprisingly skimmed over the surface of the score. The opening Festival Overture fared better.

在蕭氏的交响樂裏，有些 (像第 5，7-12 號) 比較容易定位及找到演出方向；另一些卻比較困難，而可嘉的是 張囯勇 這兩年在深交演的都屬於後者。去年的 第 15 號 令我大爲震撼，但今年的 蕭氏交響樂第 6 號 卻沒能再次替我帶來同一程度的驚喜。說老實話，我是認爲這曲子是更難更深的。樂隊表現雖然不錯，而 張囯勇 的演繹也平穩明確，但整體缺乏了必需的神來之筆，效果遠不及 2008 Mark Elder 港交的演出。

上半場的 小提琴協奏曲第一號 有點乏味。小提琴獨奏 高天陽 才十九嵗, 技術沒有問題，但沒能演繹出曲子應有的風格及變化；同樣深交，比起 2009 年 Antje Weithaas 的演出 相差甚遠。開場的 節日序曲 平穩之餘也嫌喜慶不足。

附錄：小提琴独奏高天阳生于1992年，5岁习琴，曾获得2001年上海“索乐杯”少儿小提琴比赛第一名，2005年罗马尼亚国际小提琴比赛少儿组第一 名，2006年第八届中国小提琴演奏比赛少年组第二名及少年组“中国作品演奏奖”，2008年在梅纽因国际小提琴大赛中也取得了好成绩。