Review | Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Adrien La Marca concert a mixed bag – sagging in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, soaring in Brahms quintet arrangement
- The soloists did not quite gel with each other or the orchestra in a sometimes discordant rendition of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, but better was to come
- La Marca and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s strings gave a sumptuous reading of Brahms’ second string quintet in an arrangement for string ensemble
The 49th Hong Kong Arts Festival has largely been virtual because of travel restrictions and capacity limits at performing venues imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. So it was no surprise that a live concert by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta with acclaimed French viola soloist Adrien La Marca, who put up with three weeks of hotel quarantine, quickly sold out.
For concertgoers and musicians alike, the uplifting programme of Mozart and Brahms seemed to be just what the doctor ordered. An extra buzz of curiosity surrounded this concert, the first of two featuring La Marca at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, for it is unusual for Brahms’ string quintet to be performed by a full string ensemble.
The first piece, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat, had both hits and misses, with the orchestra’s principal guest conductor, Christoph Poppen, making a rare appearance as a violin soloist, playing alongside La Marca. In contrast, the rendition of Brahms’ final string quintet was lusciously engaging.
Poppen and La Marca never quite settled for the performance of Mozart’s late gem. It required more buoyancy and a stronger pulse, especially in the two joyous, faster movements. The orchestra’s well-crafted opening soon lost its vigour, causing tempos to lag and rhythmic intensity to sag. This led to some discordance between sections of the orchestra, and between soloists and orchestra. And while much of the dialogue between the two soloists was well-balanced, the articulation of Poppen and La Marca was not always unanimous.
Glimpses of beauty and stylistic uniformity eventually emerged in Mozart’s glorious Andante second movement. Barring Poppen’s small hiccup with a misplaced, yet quickly saved entry, a homogenous sound was achieved, culminating in a cadenza of incredible beauty from both musicians.
But the finale saw both soloists seemingly scrambling towards the finish line whenever the opening motif returned. They got through to the end without being derailed, but the ride was a rocky one.
If the Mozart fell short of expectations, the string section of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta certainly made amends and delivered a compact and sumptuous reading of Johannes Brahms String Quintet No. 2 in G major. To be sure, Brahms’ dense, orchestral-like composition for five players has the weight of an extremely full-bodied wine anyway, so this embellished version, with a bass line composed by French double bassist Laurent Bécamel, does the score full justice.
As with the Mozart, the Sinfonietta’s strings performed without a conductor, with concertmaster James Cuddeford keeping a tight rein on the ensemble throughout. The optimistic outbursts of youthful exuberance in the opening movement seem to belie any notion the piece is a swansong by Brahms (he had planned to retire after writing this piece, though he did continue to compose after 1860 in the end), and it was played with confidence and great vibrancy.
Barring some minor lapses in the high and tricky violin passages, the ensemble remained comfortingly tight, allowing La Marca’s florid and delicate viola solo to emerge naturally. Not to be outshone by the French violist, Cuddeford’s solo contribution in the lilting third movement was equally delightful and full of grace.
Clean and buoyant string playing dominated the Finale, qualities that went missing in the Sinfonia Concertante, and made for an exciting conclusion that fittingly capped off an entirely commendable and satisfying performance.
Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Adrien La Marca, Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. Reviewed March 27.
