eCentral

Sunday April 26, 2009

A round of applause

Review by CHRISTY YOONG


The MPO thrilled with a joyous spin on Haydn.

TIPPETT’S DIVERTIMENTO ON SELLINGER’S ROUND

HAYDN’S SYMPHONIES NO.98 IN B FLAT & NO.103 IN E FLAT

Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, April 18 and 19

THERE are, I believe, few more illuminating pleasures than attending a classical music concert.

I have lost count of the number of times I have come away from a concert amazed at how a hitherto unfamiliar piece of music, or one what I had considered inconsequential, had left me, literally, breathless.

Similarly, I have attended many concerts that have forced me to revise my previously low estimation of certain composers, including, mea maxima culpa, Joseph Haydn.

There was humour in the music that both conductor, Kees Bakel, and orchestra took delight in. – DFP

We are more than midway through Dewan Filharmonik Petronas’ praiseworthy Haydn Anniversary Series, where the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) marks the 200th anniversary of Haydn’s death this year with a showcase of the composer’s 12 “London” symphonies.

Written for Haydn’s two visits to England in 1791-92 and 1794-95, these dozen symphonies (six for each visit) include some of his greatest achievements in the symphonic genre.

I do acknowledge the debt classical music has for Haydn, who’s known as the father of the symphony and the string quartet for his enormous contribution to the two genres.

Equally, there is no denying his roles in the development of the piano trio as well as the evolution of the sonata form, the central pillar of classical music to this day.

He has, undoubtedly, left an indelible stamp on classical music, one that made its mark on nearly all the great composers that have come after him.

My sin, however, is believing that Haydn is not as exciting as, say, Mozart (to whom Haydn was the greatest composer he had ever known), Beethoven (who was, briefly, a pupil of Haydn’s), Mahler, Sibelius and a host of other composers who form the firmament of my classical music world.

How wrong the MPO has proved me to be.

Last Sunday, I attended the performances of Haydn’s Symphonies No.98 in B flat Hob.I/98 and No.103 in E flat Hob.I/103 (also known as the Drumroll Symphony for the roll of the timpani at the beginning of the work – one of Haydn’s tricks for getting the attention of the then notoriously boisterous London audience).

Just three weeks before this, I had watched the MPO and its music director, Claus Peter Flor, perform splendid versions of Haydn’s Symphonies No.97 in C Hob.I/97 and No.101 in D “The Clock” Hob.I/101. And, just like that show, the latest concert, which saw a return by the MPO’s first music director, Kees Bakels, left me thrilled and entertained and in a hurry to re-listen the symphonies at home with greater attention.

The concert opened with Michael Tippett’s Divertimento on Sellinger’s Round.

While I am unfamiliar with this British composer’s work, I did find the piece fascinating, especially in the way Tippett refers to music from earlier eras and reinterprets them in unexpected ways.

In the first movement (of five), for example, Tippett uses pizzicato and utilises the horns and winds to create a not-displeasing dissonance that is at odds with the original tune, William’s Byrd’s 17th-century Sellinger’s Round.

Similarly, the second movement quotes from Purcell’s opera, Dido and Aeneas, and adds not entirely harmonic passages that still deliver a deep pathos.

While the work might not be the best way to introduce Tippett (there were, I am sure, more than a few bewildered listeners in the audience), it is sure to pique interest and that is surely Bakels’ intention.

The two Haydn symphonies bookended the interval and both were pure pleasure to listen to.

Bakels highlighted the symphonies’ clarity and simplicity, conducting with judicious tempos and shaping the music with a fervent spirit.

The MPO responded to the conductor’s ministrations with precise and striking playing, emphasising the buoyancy and sheer exuberance of the music.

What I also enjoyed was the humour in the music that both conductor and orchestra took delight in.

They looked like they were having a good time and this transmitted to the audience, who probably did not expect so much fun at a Haydn concert.

Which, to my surprise, it certainly was – and kudos to the MPO for making it so.

Don’t take my word for it, though. There are only three more concerts that feature Haydn’s “London” symphonies (including one today at 3pm), so book your tickets now.

I already have.

> ‘Five Noteworthy Years’ is on at 3pm today at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (Tower 2, Petronas Twin Towers) and features Haydn’s ‘Symphony No.95 in C Minor’, Stravinsky’s ‘Violin Concerto’, and Shostakovich’s ‘Symphony No.12 in D Minor (Op.112): The Year 1917’ performed by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Kees Bakels, and featuring violinist Julian Rachlin. Tickets range from RM20 to RM85; for enquiries, call the box office at 03-2051 7007.

  • E-mail this story
  • Print this story