Entertainment
Spring came on a Sunday, in Malaysian Philhamornic Orchestra KL
By Grace Chin
IT IS heartening to note that the MPO has markedly improved as a unified body since the last time I attended their performance in early November.
Under the competent baton of associate conductor Kevin Field, who has been with the MPO since December, this latest performance certainly lived up to its well-deserved reputation as a world-class orchestra.
The performance opened with Aaron Copland's Pulitzer Prize winner, Appalachian Spring Suite, which was composed as a ballet score for the legendary Martha Graham who had envisioned an all-American ballet for her dance troupe. It was Graham who suggested the title "Appalachian Spring" which came from Hart Crane's poem and is based on the story of a young newlywed couple who became pioneer farmers at the foothill of the Appalachian Mountains.
Copland, whose parents were emigrants from Poland, celebrated the youth or "springtime" of the American nation as reflected by the notes which swept across the vast expanse of the American landscape.
While Copland is not exactly one of my favourite composers, I must say that the MPO's skilful rendition of it was a wonderful overture to what was further in store that Sunday afternoon. One could not help but be appreciative of the plaintive and tender "springtime" cadences evoked by the woodwind section.
Terrence Wilsons playing was startlingly crisp, clear and entirely refreshing.
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And there were moments when images of the "wild, wild west" came to me, with the accompanying rhythmic hoof beat of horses and the stampeding of bulls across the American frontier.
Next came George Gershwin's jazzy Rhapsody In Blue. The MPO came together with guest pianist Terrence Wilson in what was a rhapsodic interpretation of one of Gershwin's most endearing and famous compositions.
It was Gershwin's successful blend of jazz and classical elements that made his fortune. It all began when bandleader Paul Whiteman asked Gershwin to compose a "crossover" piece for solo piano and jazz band, and Rhapsody In Blue was the result. It made him a superstar almost overnight.
The score, which opened with its distinctive clarinet's solo trill, builds up to a slow and deliciously sensuous theme that's in keeping with the American blues style. Brilliantly bold and brash, the "big band" sound can be discerned in parts as the themes alternated between playfulness and tenderness.
It was easy to see why guest pianist Terrence Wilson, 24, has been hailed as "one of today's most gifted young instrumentalists." Currently a scholarship student with the renowned Julliard School where he received the Sony ES Award for Music Excellence, Wilson made his debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 17.
This child prodigy was only eight when he was discovered by a New York classical radio station. His amazing talent reproducing on piano what he heard on the radio or recordings soon brought him to national attention.
Wilson's playing was startlingly crisp, clear and entirely refreshing. He possesses an uncanny ear for the comic timing and staccato rhythms that are essential to Rhapsody In Blue. Except for a slight fumble towards the end of the score, during which the synchronous timing and playing of both pianist and the orchestra were slightly off, it was a wonderful performance. It's clear to see that Wilson has far to go, and one can only wonder at the heights he would achieve once his playing reaches maturity.
Sergei Rachmaninov's very Russian and dark Symphonic Dances (No. 1 - Non allegro, No. 2 - Andante con moto and No. 3 - Lento assai - allegro vivace) proved to be a wonderful juxtaposition after the all-American and optimistic rhythms of Copland and Gershwin. Composed in 1940, the dances were to be Rachmaninov's last compositions as he suffered from fatigue, arthritis and an increasingly painful lumbago.
While the mellower Symphonic Dances does not possess the inflamed madness of Rachmaninov's third piano concerto, you can still hear the evocative themes that is entirely in keeping with the composer's style.
The brooding intensity and melancholic passion that made his name in the United States were beautifully captured by the MPO.
It certainly turned out to be one of the most enjoyable Sunday afternoons in recent memory, and I, for one, look forward to spending more Sunday afternoons like this in future.
"Rilek lah aje, usahlah pikir Mahazalim setiap siang malam, tenangkan minda, bacalah Edisi RILEKS !"
Datuk Seri Anwar
"Relax,don't think about Mahazalim every day N night, be cool, read RELAX Edition."
Dr. Wan Azizah
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