10:10am Wednesday 17th March 2010
By Brian Paynes
THE Hallé brought an attractive programme to the Lakeland Sinfonia Concert Society’s concert: Weber’s Oberon Overture, Grieg’s Piano Concerto and Brahms’s Symphony No 2.
Directed by Ewa Strusińska, its young Polish assistant conductor, each work received a thoroughly professional performance because she directs clearly, with economy of movement and, when appropriate, with vitality - but for me the zing was missing at crucial points.
Weber’s overture, technically excellent and full of Romantic fervour was presented in clean-cut, clinical fashion.
The symphony, serious, yet peaceful and pastoral, has its powerful passages (such as 4th movement) and it was in these that Ms Strusińska fell short - they didn’t explode with sufficient energy, mainly because the quiet moments around them were not nearly quiet enough.
The prodigiously gifted Hong Xu was the soloist in the piano concerto.
He contributed superb pianism, poise, power, delicacy and refined musicianship; the orchestra provided warm, sympathetic, (and very occasionally, a too-intrusive) support. A first-rate performance!
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