Yay, Kavakos.
Programme
Haydn Symphony No. 44
Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor
Schumann Symphony No. 4 in D minor (revised version, 1851)
Daniel Lozakovich (violin)
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Conductor: Omer Meir Wellber
Friday 31 July · 7.30pm – Royal Albert Hall
Preview
Dani Howard’s Concerto for Brass, SIGNAL, is a must-listen. Howard’s writing engages and delivers every time. Her trombone concerto for Peter Moore, premiered by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra as concert-going reopened during the pandemic, was a warm bath of sound after so many months of comparative silence in terms of live performance. Howard is consistent, original, and a great orchestrator.
At the time of writing these previews, too many romantic violin concertos were heard in rapid succession — Mendelssohn, Britten, Beethoven, Sibelius, and Bruch — and some were, as a result, found wanting. The Tchaikovsky (say “the Tchaik” if you’re wanting to be “in” with a violinist) feels cloying by comparison. Controversial view, obviously. Tchaikovsky’s writing here is a little obvious, a little heavy-handed. Just because you have a 5kg bag of sugar doesn’t mean you need all of it. Read the recipe. Read the room.
On the plus side, Leonidas Kavakos has his fingers on the fingerboard for this one. The most unassuming of performers and the loveliest of humans, Kavakos puts in the leg work for his space on the stage. Less starry, more one of those consistently reliable, respected, warm-the-underside-of-your-soul types.
Review
The Tchaikovsky wasn’t without its ensemble issues. On a handful of occasions there was a disagreement with speeds between soloist and band. Though what is interesting (and difficult to explain in a rational way) is why on this occasion it didn’t matter as much as it might otherwise have done. Hold my feet to the fire and I’d say it was the soloist who led, directed, and in places commanded. The character was manic, lovable and sometimes beguiling. The technique was fierce, unfazed by dickish audience members who for some inexplicable reason thought the middle of the cadenza was the time to applaud. The second movement passed without incident or comment. The third movement was stretched to the seams, a solo line that frequently rattled insistently. When the speed picked up the orchestra were there but the soloist gave them a run for their money. A race to a much-earned conclusion. Rarely has Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto delivered quite so much satisfaction. Yay, Kavakos.
This review will be updated in due course.
Gallery
Photography will be added once available.
