The Philharmonia's conservative
programming of popular works by Dvorak and Tchaikovsky took on
radical readings under the baton of Russian born Yakov
Kreizberg. The concert opened with
a delicate, crisp and exuberant account of Dvorak's Carnival Overture
with particularly fine attention to orchestral detail, often blurred
under lesser batons. With his elegant gesture, suave appearance and
charismatic intensity, Kreizberg was uncannily reminiscent of the late
Guido Cantelli. Kreizberg's beat is crystal clear and he conducts with
ego-free economy.
Siberian Vadim Repin was the soloist
in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto. Repin attacked the work with
athletic gusto and in some of the more showy passages he appeared to
be in imminent danger of sawing his 'Ruby' 1708 Stradivarius in half,
so violent was his bowing. Repin's aggressive attack did not produce
a very memorable tone merely an impassioned fiddle. He just scraped
through it.
The Andante produced very refined woodwind playing from the Philharmonia
which merely served to emphasise the crudity of Repin's sawing. Repin
played Tchaikovsky - Tchaikovsky lost.
The final work was Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony - the highlight of the
evening. Kreizberg's subtle, intense and refreshing reading made it
sound as if we were listening to the work for the first time. Kreizberg
maintained a steady tempi throughout the work blending the four movements
into a seamless whole. In the Finale Kreizberg eschewed the customary
brutal bombast that bedevils this banal movement. Here Kreizberg reminded
one of Klemperer, stressing structure over sensational vulgarity. (Or
1812 without cannon).
It was only the usual chorus of concert-going bronchitics that spoilt
the quieter passages during the evening. Over all it was an exhilarating
evening with the Philharmonia on top form. Maybe the Philharmonia should
make Kreizberg their Principal Conductor?
Alex Russell
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