Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
THE 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach brought a spate of performances around the world this year, including an impressive list of concerts locally. The Honolulu Symphony Orchestra's contribution was a performance of the six Brandenburg Concertos yesterday, with soloists drawn from the orchestra. Soloists shine in
Brandenburg
concertosBy Douglas Bomberger
Special to the Star-BulletinThe six compositions of this set are among the most popular of the German master's works, as the Schwann Opus catalog of classical recordings lists 30 recordings of the complete set. These run the gamut of performance practice and illustrate the dilemma faced by performers today. Should one attempt to recreate the sound Bach heard by using period instruments and emulating the techniques of 18th-century Europe, or should one capitalize on the size and power of the modern orchestra to create sounds he might have wanted in an ideal world?
Yesterday's performances reflected the middle ground by drawing on some of the techniques of the early-music movement but with compromises required by the hall and players.
In Bach's day, orchestras typically had the same number of winds but significantly fewer strings than the modern orchestra. The acoustic environment of Blaisdell Concert Hall required a larger orchestra than Bach would have used, but Maestro Samuel Wong kept the forces to a minimum in order to approximate the balance between strings and winds typical of the 18th century.
Some of the soloists used period instruments, while others performed on modern instruments, creating some unusual problems. Philip Gottling's expressive and virtuosic recorder solos were often drowned out by Michael Zonshine's equally impressive trumpet solos in the second concerto. Grant Mack's fine harpsichord solos in the fifth concerto were difficult to hear because of the placement of the instrument and were marred by a harpsichord badly out of tune after playing four other concertos in the air-conditioned auditorium.
The real stars were the soloists, all from the orchestra's ranks. They gave an impressive demonstration of how far the orchestra has come over four years. Of particular note were the luscious tones of oboist Scott Janusch, the graceful elegance of violinist Claire Hazzard, and dazzling virtuosity of concertmaster Ignace Jang.
Violists Mark Butin and Steven Flanter, whose tones are normally lost in the middle of the full orchestra, took their solo turn in the sixth concerto with infectious gusto. Also turning in memorable performances were Darel Stark, Jason Lichtenwalter, Susan McGinn, Emma Moon, and Wu Hung. Worthy of special mention for their fine continuo playing are Gregory Dubay and Andrew Eckard.
Wong's conducting was subdued, with more concern for clarity and less bravura than he exhibits in the Romantic repertoire. At the end of the concert, he symbolically placed his maile lei across the open score on the conductor's stand in deference to the composer's genius.
Douglas Bomberger is an associate professor of
music at the University of Hawai i at Manoa.
Click for online
calendars and events.
