Concert Review: HK Sinfonietta-Christoph Poppen-Alina Pogostkina

Concert Review: HK Sinfonietta-Christoph Poppen-Alina Pogostkina

Jan 21, 2017, Tsuen Wan Town Hall
HK Sinfonietta - Christoph Poppen - Alina Pogostkina
Webern-Beethoven-Brahms

Concert opened with Webern's early In Sommerwind, intelligently connecting to the Brahms of the second half. Commendably, the fluid performance effectively tied up the contrasting moods of the various episodes.

Alina Pogostikina played the Beethoven Violin Concerto with leisure and substance, but it was not an interpretation for all tastes. Here is a violinist who is different, with a rich and nuanced tone; even the high notes of the Strad sounds luxurious (rather than parched, as in lesser hands). She favored more legato and long phrases than usual, and her bow seemed always very close to the strings. I am not schooled in violin technique, but occasionally I was not comfortable with what I thought were intonation anomalies which might have been due to the employment of small scoops and slides. My violin-playing friend BenYC said it did not sound very "Beethoven", which I agree. Orchestral contribution was tidy. Despite a couple of jarring wrong notes, the Bach encore was uncommonly compelling.

Despite the small forces, Brahms Third Symphony received a cogent reading. Christoph Poppen is obviously much attuned to the composer. With minimal fuss, he managed all the transitions with ease. The many lyrical episodes were particularly rewarding. Aided by the exceptional sonics of this hall (a smaller replica of the Town Hall in Central; with I think even better sonics), the performance has that Brahmsian warmth that is often lacking in performances by more high profiled orchestras, including the HKPO.

The HK Sinfonietta seems to have entered a more stable period, with fewer personnel changes and generally very good playing.