Concert
Of Tragedy and Heroism MPO, dir. Andris Poga, Simon Abdilla Joslin, cello
Manoel Theatre

Call me a traditionalist if you like, but like many others I enjoy the overture/concerto/symphony concert format.

This was the case with the latest concert featuring the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Latvian guest conductor Andris Poga.

Still just out of his 20s this young director welded together and obtained the full response of an orchestra very much on good form and thoroughly enjoying the evening’s music-making. This was evident throughout the concert which began with Brahms’s Tragic Overture. I join exalted company in finding the overture’s title not all that satisfactory because darkly sombre and sober music need not be tragic or anguished. The music came across in a delightfully warm manner, was well-shaped and with great attention to detail which included some very difficult flute passages for which Rebecca Hall has to be singled out. What counted all told was that forgetting the title, the music provided great satisfaction.

Bravo Simon Abdilla Joslin for a great performance of Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No.1. He launched into the work, which is almost like a whirlwind at first, with great panache. He was in complete command of himself, produced a marvellous tone and got to the heart of the work. This was a case of all-round bravura whether in the virtuoso passages of the outer movements and calmer moments within, or in the very charming middle movement with its aura of rococo powder, patch and wig. Here was a well-seasoned performer capable of mustering as much power and technical brilliance as an utterly tender sensitivity. The teamwork with the orchestra was of the highest order and so was the resulting balance.

Equally satisfying was the performance of Beethoven’s great Eroica. Well could there be anything not great which Beethoven wrote?

It makes the challenge all the more formidable when tackling a work like this symphony. Well-tackled indeed it was, for conductor and orchestra put their heart in it.

The well-paced tempi in all movements especially in the outer ones and the Marcia funebre allowed for the unfolding of a rich variety of thematic material, of fugue and variation which came in refreshing wave after wave.

Manifold contrasts, textures and dynamic effects created such a good feeling that one was never mindful of the pretty long duration of each.

One expected and got positive surprises round every corner. No flagging, no plodding and while there was an emotionally strong and dignified energy in the Marcia funebre, a different kind of energy, very crisp and exuberant, coloured the comparatively brief Scherzo which lived up to its allegro vivace indication.

The great finale was well, yes, great. It was definitely a performance to be remembered and one to be proud of by all involved.

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