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
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