Ningbo Symphony Orchestra Mahler 3

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Concert Review: Ningbo Symphony Orchestra Mahler 3

Sept 20, 2021, Shenzhen Grand Theater 深圳大剧院

Ningbo Symphony Orchestra 宁波交响乐团 - Yu Feng 俞峰 - Zhu Huiling 朱慧玲

Chorus of the Central Conservatory 中央音乐学院合唱团

Shenzhen Senior High School Lily Girls Choir 深圳高级中学百合合唱团

Mahler Symphony No. 3

While the threat of relatively nearby Fujian Province's COVID outbreak is still looming on the horizon, I lucked out on this narrow window (given the many previous cancellations, I am actually surprised that somehow the authorities here allowed these concerts, albeit at diminished capacity). Astonishingly, the second Mahler concert in 5 days!

Years of unprecedented economic growth in China had fueled the quest for cultural prestige, and with it growth of many symphony orchestras. A stone's throw away from China's leading orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, are (at least) the well established Hangzhou and Suzhou Symphony Orchestras and, the youngest, Ningbo Symphony Orchestra (established 2015). Keep in mind that these are all prosperous cities in China's most prosperous region. You may not know Ningbo is the largest port in the world (by tonnage handled) and ripples are still being felt around the world due to the worldwide shipping delays caused by its partial pause during a recent covid outbreak. Let's hope China's impending economic downturn does not impede the artistic growth of these orchestras.

A note on the venue. The SZ Grand Theater is an older (and nice) hall, home to its own medium sized orchestra (which I have never heard), which offers humbler fare than the larger Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra (which usually plays in the bigger and acoustically superior Shenzhen Concert Hall). The wood-paneled hall looks rather like HK's City Halls. This is a hall that sounded good when I attended concerts here before, though previously I sat downstairs, not upstairs.

I'd let the cat out of the bag here. Despite a valiant effort, the Ningbo is not quite Shenzhen. It began promisingly enough. The all-important trombones and horns were very good in tutti, and the trumpets were secure. The first oboe's entry was not very good, but she proved excellent later, as did all the wind principals (great clarinet soloist). As the gargantuan first movement unfolded, serious weaknesses manifested themselves. The horns are of supreme importance in this work, and the section sounded well enough when they played loudly in unison. However, when the level dropped to (mezzo) forte and below, they lost expression and became very bland, even tenuous. And then the strings, which were obviously of smaller size and impact than their Shenzhen counterpart. I am not sure whether the acoustics played a part - they sounded uncomfortably grainy when pushed.

The veteran conductor is an important figure in China. He still is head of the Central Conservatory. He moved things steadily on and navigated transitions skillfully, but was not necessarily the most expressive. As an example, the Minuet lacked lilt and the scherzo could have used more fantasy. The two vocal movements could also have been more hushed. The older ladies were in the back and the Girls Choir squeezed onto the front, on both sides. They sang well enough but I missed a Boy's Choir. Best was the Alto, who had great (even regal) poise and sang like an angel. In my opinion she's up there with the best of her western counterparts I have heard. Wunderbar!

I was rather taken aback by the Finale. It was taken at a speed significantly faster than I'd have liked (definitely not Langsam; and I am not even an advocate for ultra slow speed here) and even at the critical beginning it was not hushed enough. It was all symphonically geared towards the brassy climaxes. This was well played but not the Mahler I know; in fact I know of no performance or recording that sounds like this one. But I'd concede that this, one of the greatest Mahler movements, had always upended interpreters.

The orchestra had a hectic schedule for this tour (see the official blog here, in Chinese but with pics). On the 17th, they rehearsed for 10 hours back home. On the 18th, they flew to Guangzhou and rehearsed with the Choirs (the children's choir is local and different from this performance). On the 19th they performed in Guangzhou. On the 20th, they travelled to Shenzhen (less than 3 hours by bus) and gave this concert (surely with rehearsal with the Lily Choir). I am not sure whether they were heading for other nearby cities afterwards. Perhaps the hectic schedule and consecutive night performances took its toll.

In recent concerts, especially those in venues I rarely visit (like here and the Longgang), I wonder how much the hall contributes to the grainy sound (not only of the Ningbo, but also of the China National Opera). To be fair to the Ningbo, I streamed several of their concerts online and tried to determine their sound.

I watched on their official website the 2021 Second Viennese School Concert (Berg Violin Concerto; Schoenberg Five Pieces and Webern Pasagcalia). I also watched the 2020 Beethoven 8th (with excellent introduction of the piece and some players) conducted by the diminutive but very charming Chen Lin 陈琳, former student of Yu Feng and now vice-chair of the Conducting Dept in the Central Conservatory (bio). Both are good performances in virtual concerts, playing to an empty hall. I think I hear some of the deficiencies I heard in this concert. Dry strings and weak horns. I also streamed their excellent pre-pandemic 2019 Shoatakovich 5th under the redoubtable Zhang Gouyong 张国勇 (pupil of the great Gennadi Rozdhestventsky). Now, this was to a full hall and the orchestra sounded just fuller. The concerts I heard were half capacity and perhaps that had affected the sound. Lack of playing time together during the pandemic surely is a factor too. Something to really think about!

Despite their severely challenged production value, the videos manage to show a very young orchestra working hard. All in all, I'd love to hear this orchestra again, under better circumstances. And I sure would like to hear Chen Lin live one day!

I cannot help to air my feeling about mobilizing such big forces during the pandemic. Tours are all about garnishing prestige, especially for second-tier orchestras. Everybody (including the HKPO) does it, and when back home reports are always full of hyperboles lauding the success. I am sure Maestro Yu has a lot of pull in China, but I do feel perhaps he could have done it without such extravagance by selecting a showpiece that does not require soloist and double choirs. One has to use privilege carefully. Shenzhen has a superior orchestra that can deliver all of this without effort. In fact, the SZSO had performed this piece before under its former director Ehwald (my attendance chronicled here; wow, 10 years ago!). It made do with less resources, to even better effect.

Let me not be misunderstood. I am very enthusiastic about the state of the Chinese Orchestra. I follow them closely and root for them. In fact, I am planning on an article on all these interesting regional orchestras and under sung conductors. 

Shenzhen Symphony Mahler and Opera Excerpts

Concert Review: Shenzhen Symphony and Mahler

Sept 17, 2021, Shenzhen Concert Hall

Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra - Lin Daye 林大叶 - Shi Yijie 石倚洁

Opera Excerpts and Mahler 5

This was a first in my concert-going. I had never previously experienced a heavy-weight symphony that was preceded by unrelated opera excerpts (music and arias). Sometimes, a Mahler symphony would be preceded by a Mahler song cycle, and that is relevant. But Italian Opera? However, it tuned out just fine - a delight, actually. Better this than a gratuitous Mozart concerto.

The large orchestra was unusually seated in the European way - divided violins and lower strings distributed around the center. Concert opened with a sonorous Overture to Verdi's La Forza del Destino (this opera is actually one of my favorite Verdi's because, despite the usual absurd plot, there is no drag and things unfold quickly, with the three leads singing non-stop). Then came Che gelida manina from Puccini's La Boheme. It was immediately apparent Tenor Shi Yijie (a bio here) has a secure and well honed voice, with good style and diction. He had won several major competitions and is quite well known for his largely Bel Canto performances. Then came La donna e mobile, from Verdi's Rigoletto, which of course brought down the house (even Chinese audience know this one; in secondary school in HK I actually sang it in its silly English version Over the Summer Sea). then, interestingly, the conductor and singer both exited the stage, and the orchestra launched into a sliver (with harp) of Bizet's L'Arlesienne Suite. All this to introduce the next piece, E la solita storia del pastore, a tenor staple that has survived the oblivion of  Cilea's L'arlesiana. Somewhat incongruently, Dein ist mein ganzes Herz from Lehar's Das Land des Lachelns rounded off the program. The audience was enthusiastic and the appluase won an encore, O sole mio! My, that raised the roof! Good show and even I felt good. As I wrote in the last review of the National Opera, opera has a bright future in China.

However, in this acoustically superior hall, where one can hear everything loud and clear, deploying a Mahlerian orchestra for opera is questionable. The strings are probably twice the size of those usually in the pits. The soloist was no slouch but a somewhat reduced orchestra would have made some of his singing ride more effortlessly. Conductor Lin Daye, winner of the Sir Georg Solti conductor competition, had a fine grip. Stylistically the Italian material were fine but the Lehar needed a little more je ne sais quoi (most Lehar recordings fail too, unless the conductor is really into the idiom; listen to mono Lehar on Lehar and you'll know why).

And then we straddled into the completely alternate reality of Mahler Symphony No. 5. I often wonder why it is played much more often than any other of his purely instrumental symphonies - perhaps it is more easily understandable and its movements are not all unremittingly dark and embrace various moods, with an upbeat conclusion. However, its second and third movements are sprawling and difficult to cohere, and in my experience not many performances are satisfying. This performance was driven with a firm pulse and played dramatically, often rambunctiously, sometimes chaotically, but I call it a success, much better than the many uninspiring, even dispiriting, Mahler 5 I have heard in the past years, many with big names like Andris Nelsons/BSO and Marin Alsop/Baltimore (summarized, with links, here).

The Funeral march is the easiest movement. Here, it unfolded steadily and the trumpeter for once was never flustered. The strings, as throughout, showed their mettle, and their expressiveness was truly gratifying. The second movement was positively wild, stormy and vehement, as Mahler indicated. But it is a long movement, and this conductor's resolute drive did not have much yielding in tempo, so sometimes it seemed a little episodic, especially after successive apocalytic moments. The same holds true of the Scherzo, which had some wonderful playing by the strings, but a little more relaxation here and there would not be amiss. I have to say here I don't agree with the practice to have the horn soloist come up front for the few bits that he does. Our principal here seemed awkwardly poised and distracted, though he played well. The Adagietto was well played, but I'd much prefer it to be more hushed. The Rondo Finale was not the most playful, but it had drive and aimed at the finish, which was a success.

Texture was frequently a little coarse. At lower levels the strings were simply world-class in their expressivity, but at higher levels the tutti violins had some coarseness about them. As for the brass, they played very well but the sound is not that of the VPO or Concertgebouw. Most of this can likely be attributed to the lesser instruments that Chinese players use. China is not a country with a rich western music tradition nor a stash of older and affordable instruments but new luthiers and othe instrumental makers, as in other parts of the western world, are constantly gaining ground. Mind you, the musicians are paid little compared to world standard, and most have to earn more by private means, so it's unlikely they can afford more expensive instruments, which are even more expensive here than in the west.

The best are the woodwind players, which are simply world-class. Most of the principals have studied and played in Germany, and their solidity shows. As I have mentioned before, they play with a coherence and expressiveness that somehow elude the HKPO winds.

But the most impressive thing was that the whole team seemed hungry, and eager to make the most of things. China's crazy-strict covid policies cancelled most performances. Too bad because of a sporadic case in SZ I had to miss the SZSO with Li Xincao in Mahler 7th, a work I'd like to hear more than the 5th! Uh! BUT, this performance revealed to me that the musicians, from conductor down, are an enthusiastic bunch. I actually don't understand many Mahler performances today - the foremost thing is to galvanize and just give! Yes, calculated agogic changes are important but they would be futile if the musicians are not fired up in general (as in the 2 aforementioned performances I cited above). Better over-heated than under-toned. Mahler was not a perfect composer, and he knew it. For the 5th, he revised at a frenzy since its premiere because he was adjusting the sound palette. Conductors have to adjust too, and it's a tough job.

As western music is only a portion of the usual agenda of a Chinese symphonic orchestra, it cannot be an easy life. They have to play many roles, as functionaries for popular programs and state events beside their playing western music. Given that understanding, I am doubly impressed by their performances. In this concert, the musicians played their hearts out, and it was obvious.

Kudos! Mahler has a bright future in China

China National Opera Marriage of Figaro

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Opera Review: China National Opera - Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro

Sep 7, 2021, Shenzhen, Longgang Cultural Center Grand Theater 深圳龙岗文化中心大剧院
China National Opera 中央歌剧院 - Yang Yang, 杨洋 conductor
Figaro: Wang Yi Qing 王艺清; Susanna: Li Jing Jing 李晶晶
Count: Jin Chuan 金川; Countess: Zhang Jin Ge 张金鸽
Cherubino: Niu Sha Sha 牛莎莎
Bartolo: Chen Ye 陈野; Marzellina: Jin Jiu Jie 金久湝; Basilio: Li Xiang 李想

Unlike the Turandot last Friday, this is is billed as a Concert Version. I was surprised when I entered and found a reshaped, simply yet boldly adorned stage that collapsed the stage rear corners towards the center. The floor and back were laden with blown up scores, and the down-sized orchestra was fanned out on the right (see pic below). The Props, mostly a chair and 2 screens that were moved around, were a model of economy (much like Peking Opera) but proved well deployed. The pit was covered and the actions were further up front. Singers were dressed in mostly black and white (and off-white) and blended in with the stage.

From the first downbeat, I was pleasantly surprised by the nice sound of the orchestra. Strings were sweet and articulate and the woodwinds and horns played with excellent ensemble and verve, clearly energized. Conductor Yang Yang was proficient and perhaps a little more yielding than Yuan Ding on Friday. It was not quite the most idiomatic Mozart playing around - transitional passages occasionally sounded like sight-reading, but it was on a high and enjoyable level even for this veteran (I have watched this opera many times, including in English at the much lamented New York City Opera). Compared with Friday, one can conclude that the pit was highly detrimental to the sound. Of course it usually is, but an experienced conductor can counter this to some extent. It is also possible the reshaped stage basically constituted a horn that was beneficial to the transmission of sound. The orchestra actually played every night between Friday and Tuesday. In between were a concert of opera excerpts and some celebratory concerts for the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. Perhaps they were finally warmed up too.

Suffice to say, the semi-staging was more than satisfactory (better than a poor full staging). Kudos to the people who worked on the set and direction. The limited color palette and blown up pages reminded me of productions that ranged from a Queen of Spades (with blown-up poker cards) and Hans-Jurgen Syberberg's cinematic masterpiece, Parsifal (scores blowing around).

TWO big twists! The recitatives were delivered in Chinese (Mandarin vernacular)! And well done they were, as good as native drama actors. As you may not know, Chinese singers are severely disadvantaged by their mother tongue that is not a western language (same for Koreans and Japanese and whatever). With little foreign language in the usual curriculum, Asians have to work crazy hard to sing opera. Second, Mozart, in the form of an actor (see pics), appeared occasionally, sometimes during a lull, and gave brief synopsis of the highly confused proceedings. The audience lapped it up, and that is important. More, there were some arguably "cheap tricks", like the Count carrying an LV bag to woo Susanna, and Marzellina gifted Figaro the deed for an apartment 房产证！when she found out he was her son. My opinion is, this is an implausible comedy that can accommodate elements iconic (for the wrong reasons) in our current lives. The audience was certainly tickled.

Now to the singing. Just like the orchestral playing, it was not the ultimate, but it was on a high level. Diction was fair, no easy thing. The male singers of whatever register sounded more alike than different, which means that Figaro and the Count were not so far apart (it happens to even the legendary Fischer-Diskeau, who being very light for a baritone excelled nonetheless because of his non-pareil diction and characterization). Susanna and Countess were competent and more differentiated, and Marzellina was downright husky (not that I like that). My greatest disappointment had to be the trouser-role, Cherubino, who must stand out in this opera, just as Octavian must in Rosenkavalier. The singer was like a glob of vowels and I could not make out syllables - I value enunciation (which is why I am emphatically neither a fan of Joan Sutherland nor Kiri Te-Kanawa). My Italian may be rudimentary (basta!), but I know what the cadence should sound like.

There is another observation. The ensembles, and this is a meticulously composed ensemble opera, were tight, and highly enjoyable, not that much different from a night in the better of the West. When it came to the individual moments, be it the (what should be) time-arresting moments, like Porgi Amor, things fell a little short. Not expressive enough, but still moving. And so the ensemble effort eclipsed the individual, but that is not a bad thing. Again, I am positive the Chinese western opera scene has a very bright future ahead. In terms of offering western opera in foreign tongues to the Chinese population, I think this is a very good effort. In fact, I think it is a sterling effort. I'd be happy to see and hear more of this kind in the coming years. Kudos.

Onto my feelings now towards this opera. Masterpiece though it is, it is a set piece designed to a formula. After years of listening, it has become too predictable. For me, there is less excitement in it now than before. I have never been a comedy fan, and imho opera moves too slowly to be a good vehicle. Better the heavier operas with their more cosmic pretensions and heaven-storming angst. As always, I listen to the music (singers and, even more importantly, the orchestra) more than follow the plot.

There are numerous very good recordings of this opera. On LP I have the classic set conducted by Erich Kleiber, (Decca) perfect singing and playing, and sonically excellent to boot. Still one of the best.

Puccini Turandot Chinese National Opera

Opera Review: Turandot

Shenzhen, Longgang Cultural Center Grand Theater 深圳龙岗文化中心大剧院

China National Opera 中央歌剧院 - Yuan Ding, 袁丁 conductor
Turandot: Liu Yan Hong 刘艳红
Calaf: Li Shuang 李爽
Liu: Yao Hong 幺红

Timur: Tian Hao 田浩
Ping, Pang, Pong: Geng Zhe, Liu Yi Ran, Li Xiang 耿哲，刘怡然，李想

Where I live in Shenzhen, Longgang, is peripheral to the heavy-weight CBD districts of Futian and Nanshan. As a result, cultural events, at least those of more substantial (or foreign) import, are few and far in between (not that there are many to start with in this city without much of a past). This is not unlike anywhere else in the world, be it NYC or HK. Where I am would be Queens in NYC and Yuen Long in HK. There is no denying, the best arts come to the wealthiest. It may not be equitable, but arts increasingly need private funding. I am not even mentioning the issue of "high arts", as they are likely massively imperiled by an age where inequity and populist sentiments are high on the agenda. If one judges by popular votes, hip hop and K-Pop will enter the halls of fame, and Shakespeare and Beethoven will be nearly completely dismissed. Fortunately, the niche always exists, but aficionados will have to be content with a very small pocket.

So it was, and is, a rare event that the premiere Opera Company of China, the National Opera, visits our local venue. Originally scheduled for July, it was postponed due to a smattering of covid cases here. Scouring the net, I found out this is a tried-and-true production that had toured China extensively. It had also been scheduled in Italy this year but I don't think it had happened due to the pandemic.

When I learned that they were finally to come, tickets were sold out. Fewer tickets were available due to anti-covid practices (some seats blocked out). On the evening of performance, I went early to the entrance gate, where patrons were screened for their QR Health Codes. I had with me a sign: "Just 1 ticket wanted". No response. I pestered every person entering the gate for whether he or she had an unused ticket. After maybe 10 attempts, one lady said she had one. I was ecstatic and entered with her (and paid her) and the rest is history. Mind you , were this at the city center's Concert Hall, where I heard all of my favorite SZSO concerts, where tickets during covid times are registered with one's name; any transference of ticket will be hazardous, if not impossible (I had understood this in advance).

This marked the first time I had entered this venue. It is an old-styled "statement building", which is conjoined with the district's main library (which I frequent) and museum (which I occasionally visit; currently, it has an African Art exhibit). The linking elements used to house the Book City, which had been relocated to the newer cultural center, Mecanoo (designed by the Dutch firm), a stone-throw's away, and is now used as a covid-testing site.

Despite its highly absurd story (which, honestly, is a problem that plagues most operas), musically, Turandot is one of my favorite operas, certainly my favorite Puccini, even if the ending was completed by Alfano. Its portrayal of so-called "ancient China" caused it to be banned for decades in China. But now its fortunes is reversed. There is even a Peking Opera version of it; how's that for cultural re-appropriation! For myself, the depiction of "China", even the trio of Ping Pang Pong (who offer some humanistic counterpoint to Turandot's ruthlessness), is not the problem; it's the precipitous softening of the Princess in the third act that defies credulity. I am not the only one. The respectable Spectator even published an article calling it out: Turandot is a disgusting opera that is beyond redemption. I agree with most of the points except that, I do think, despite the problematic ending, musically it is the best of the composer. Also, as an Asian, I personally find Madama Butterfly even more disagreeable, and never listen to it (ditto the despicable musical Miss Saigon, which basically appropriated the Puccini opera. Perhaps one day someone will write "Miss Kabul" - I am serious, and betting on it).

theopera101 (you should read the link to know all about the opera) also takes side swipes at the opera:

"...Calaf: A prince, anonymous to everyone in the opera. Supposedly a great guy but does little to justify this reputation...Liu: A slave girl. Loves Calaf beyond all measure -- the feeling’s not mutual..."

"...As Liu falls dead Timur must be informed since he is blind, and he cries out in sadness. The crowd and he leave with the body of Liu. Calaf chastises Turandot for effectively slaughtering the heart and soul of the opera and then pulls her in and kisses her. (At this point Puccini finishes and Alfano takes over)..."

"...After the kiss Turandot is horrified but gradually she softens. She reveals that she has always (since Act I at least) both hated and loved the Prince. She tells him to leave, but he bravely reveals his name: “I am Calaf, son of Timur.” His life sits in her hands...Predictably but rather unbelievably - not to mention mawkishly - the couple approach the emperor and Turandot announces that she knows the Prince’s name and it is love. Everyone is happy and the opera ends to the tune of "Nessun Dorma"..."

Cannot agree more. And so, the third and final act is rather difficult to watch, despite the magnificence of the music. It cannot be easy on the cast either. Most singers are basically "statuesque" and terrible actors, but the soprano singing Turandot is further burdened by the impossible task of acting out a radical change of personality in a very short time. Hence, in every production, the soprano singing Liu would steal applause.

Musically, things were on a high level. Hong Kong Opera cannot begin to compare. The singing was fine across the board, and that includes the very important chorus (though they are too few in number on this small stage, and so less impactful than usual). Liu Yan Hong (Turandot), a young singer on the ascent, possesses a voice capable of literally beaming out on demand. The veteran Yao Hong (Liu), also administratively second-in-command at the CNO, sang expressively, though her voice was at times unsteady, even decidedly floppy at first entry. Veteran bass Tian Hao (Timur) had been at this a long time and his timber was lovely. The ensemble act of Ping, Pang and Pong was solidly dependable.

Li Shuang (Calaf) had the lion's share of the limelight. His singing was not quite helden, but of good tonal allure, dependable and fairly idiomatic. However, the Nessun Dorma should have had a little more lingering to bring out the drama. This may partly be due to the conductor, Yuan Ding, who, though proficient, throughout showed not much elasticity.

The orchestra played very well. The woodwinds were the standouts. Strings seemed not full enough. The brass were overly powerful, often somewhat coarse, even grating. The conductor may be partly to blame but I think he was not the real culprit. It's the hall. The size is on the small side but that is not the problem. Rather, it is the acoustics - a very dry sound, and that is definitely not friendly to the orchestra or singers. The walls are pretty bare, with almost no adornment, and seem to be plastered. The lack of Hall Sound diminishes the grandeur of the music, especially the resplendent scoring of the final pages. It certainly didn't help with the Nessun Dorma. Acoustically, wood-laden Shenzhen Concert Hall is markedly superior.

Production values were good. The sets were impressive, though squeezed on the smallish stage. Lighting was fine. Stage direction was alright, and in my opinion no direction can be successful for the final act.

This was an all-Chinese production of one of the more difficult operas to mount. Judged by the performance in all respects China has a very bright future in Opera.

As for this opera, despite the lure of stage opulence, it makes as much sense to just listen to it than watch it. The orchestral scoring is full of riches. I recommend the glorious Decca version conducted by Mehta (resplendent sonics characteristic of Decca opera productions). It has a galaxy of stars that one cannot hope to encounter in the opera house today (and I am not even usually a fan of Pavarotti and Sutherland). My LP set (London) is one of the very few in my modest opera collection that I still pull out and play from time to time (others are Magic Flute, Tristan, Ring and, surprise! Flying Dutchman). In fact, just last year, before I departed for HK, I played the last side. On a good audio setup, it always gives great pleasure. For those who can tolerate old sonics, the legendary 1937 Covent Garden live excerpts conducted by Barbirolli, with Eva Turner and Giovanni Martinelli (EMI), is a MUST. A hair raising performance that has never been surpassed and English Eva Turner, more than the formidable Birgit Nilsson and others, has always been regarded as the greatest Turandot ever.