(First published on http://musicians.com.sg. All rights reserved. No part of this may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form without permission in writing from the author.)
Phua Ee Kia presenter
The orchestra presented two symphonies from different stages of Haydn’s development as a composer. Symphony No. 73 represents the light musical style of the period after Haydn’s venture into Sturm und Drang (‘Storm and Stress’). Symphony No. 82 clearly was written to capture the attention of the composer’s Parisian audience, replete with dramatic gestures, surprising twists and turns, and greater experimentation with orchestral colours.
The account of the Classical era given by the presenter for this concert had the character of a caricature, and was designed to engage an audience for whom classical music is akin to a foreign language. This was successful to a certain extent, though it was perhaps a little long; more explication of the musical material would have been useful for such an audience. More to the point, the presentation of two entire symphonies in the same characteristic Haydnesque style is not entirely suited to this audience, regardless of the countless distinctions musical connoisseurs can make. Nevertheless, the little quiz tickled the audience with its outlandish multiple choice options. One wonders if Haydn was not quite so proficient on the electric guitar, in response to the question of which instrument Haydn did not manage so well.
As an instance of performance practice (rather than the concert as a whole), the orchestra and the conductor was much more successful. The structure of the music was clearly presented. Important moments were suitably emphasized and one gets a sense of the ebb and flow of energy in the vivacious Allegros. Metrical and musical accentuation was applied in good proportion. Tempo was well judged, though a little flexibility in the inner movements would not have been amiss.
In terms of the choice of venue, chamber groups (such as the downsized TPO formed specially for this concert) tend to be limited in their options. However, a worse choice could not have been made. The Salon is much too small for the 30 or so players. Much of the fine work by the orchestra was undone by the acoustics. Loud forte passages on the violins came across in a shrill manner as, beyond a certain point, the ear cannot comfortably adjust to the higher decibels. As a result, the perceivable dynamics range was much smaller than in reality. Soft piano passages were like desiccated leaves, deprived of the benefits of reverberations. This dryness is due in part to the limited use of vibrato, as is the practice in the eighteenth century; a different venue is clearly needed. The wind instruments’ sound was more palatable, perhaps because they were not disadvantaged by a playing technique not designed for their instruments; these were often too loud in the small room. More disturbing was the constant pounding of the three cellos and two double basses, which in a larger venue would not have had the same effect. The punishing acoustics revealed every instance of splayed microtones which would have been disguised in another venue.
The slower movements of No. 73 were a little dull due to the ‘light’ style Haydn employed; this music was perhaps more suited as the background to conversations. If we were to follow performance practice to the extreme, i.e. in the manner performances were conducted in the eighteenth century, the symphony could have been performed in the middle of the sunlit atrium in the
Overall, this concert would have been more enjoyable with if more consideration had been given to the ‘extra-musical’ aspects, such as the venue and the programming. Some symphonies can be transferred from the pedestal to other performing spaces, and mixed with other genres or music by different composers. Musical decisions such as the number of lower strings and the use of vibrato on strings can also be profitably reviewed, given the specific acoustics of the venue. Instrumental technique was not generally a problem with the exception of one of the horn players who had permanent difficulties with tone production - and practically crippled the last leg of ‘The Bear’.
