Ruy Blas Overture - Mendelssohn
Violin Concerto No 1 - Bruch
Symphony No 8 - Shostakovich
One of the pleasures of Friday night's NCH concert was the playing of the Argentine violinist Rafael Gintoli. Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 is so often milked for sentiment and for the big gesture, as if it were a specimen of grand, heroic Romanticism. Gintoli did no such thing. His lucid, finely-coloured tone was not projected into the hall - it floated.
It was refreshing to hear this concerto played with such expressive vibrato, and in a style so full of musicality and devoid of extravagance. The performance's one serious limitation was the failure of conductor Kasper de Roo to direct the National Symphony Orchestra in a way which matched the soloist's pliable, long-ranging rhythmic drive. Nevertheless, this was an occasion to remember.
Mendelssohn's Ruy Blas Overture, which opened the concert, was tight and well-balanced. Yet it was also a bit too straightforward. Delightfully wholesome this music is; but it is also full of calculated dramatic contrasts, and these need to speak out.
There was no lack of dramatic contrast in the performance of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 8. The NSO's playing had heart and muscle and was strong in dynamic range. Kasper de Roo's concern with detail was welcome in music which otherwise can sound crude. However, this was at the expense of longbreathed melody and of sustained momentum in slow tempi. Thereby the piece lost some of its emotional impact. Nevertheless, the general character of each of the five movements - all very different - came across clearly.