Review: Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra

February 15, 2017, CCCH-Sascha Goetzel-Vadim Repin
Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra
Tuzun-McMillan-Rimsky-Korsakov

Hallelujah! A miracle has been bestowed upon us.

This is an orchestra that SWINGS! More than any other orchestra, and more than most of today's jazz bands, I kid you not!

I have long followed this orchestra on record. The library has two of their exceptional recordings on Onyx (pictured), which contain pieces played on this tour. They are even better live, and although the promo material humbly declares their striving to be one of the world's greatest orchestras, I'd say they are there already.

Being cultural ambassador for embattled Turkey, concert opened with Capriccio à la Turque by Tüzün. As titled, it is a colorful romp, skillfully crafted and firmly tonal, replete with Turkish rhythms. It was immediately apparent that the orchestra is top drawer and conductor Sacha Goetzel comfortably in charge.

Then came a big surprise in programming, the Violin Concerto by James McMillan (whom I have admired through his many CDs in the library, and I even have a few). Soloist is none other than Vadim Repin. As usual, it has an amalgamation of styles, with a heavy percussion battery. Some passages reminded me of Messiaen. In the slow movement is a surprisingly tender interlude. Repin has lost his boyish fat and now look quite distinguished. The encore was marvelous.

Rimsky-Kosakov's Scheherazade was utterly marvelous. I cannot single out a particular soloist, as all of the solo passages were rendered magnificently. In comparison with this simultaneously virile and tender rendition, the last HKPO performance I attended was merely an exercise in sight reading.

This is not a very large orchestra (strings: 14, 12, 10, 9, 6) yet, like the best orchestras (think the recent visit of the Moscow Philharmonic), they make a very big, full and rounded sound. Not a single ugly moment. Most importantly, all the musicians played like soloists and individuality, making all the solos stand out. The Turks are a famously musical people, and their own traditional music has intricate rhythms and colors. This shows in their performances, full of subtle phrasing and rhythmic emphasis, and swagger in the big moments.

The musicians are almost completely Turk, and excel. I think of the HKPO, which simply does not nurture Chinese and local talents enough. There are now plenty of good Chinese (HK and mainland) wind and brass players (many studied overseas) yet they don't show up on our stages. The HKPO claims to be world class, but a comparison with this Turkish orchestra shows they are not. What HKPO should do is to develop its own character and promote local talents, rather than be a "world-class" wannabe. Don't get me wrong, HKPO is good, but they do not live up to the hyped up promo material their officials give us.