Hong Kong concertgoers have recently heard the clarinet in its many guises, from local clarinetist Linus Fung’s heart-wrenching rendition of Abyss of the Birds from Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time to Saturday evening’s Hong Kong Sinfonietta program featuring Israeli clarinetist Gilad Harel. Harel performed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major and a world premiere entitled Klezmer’s Smile by Moscow-born Sergei Abir, composed especially for the soloist's Hong Kong debut.
Curiously, Mozart’s overture to La Clemenza di Tito remains on the fringes of today's concert repertoire. UK-born conductor Jason Lai and the Sinfonietta proved it a more than worthy opener by delivering compact and resounding C major chords that were aptly regal, crisply articulated quavers and downward scales in the strings, and subtle swells in crescendo and diminuendo that lent the overture flair and elegance.
The real Mozart drawcard however was the revered Clarinet Concerto. The orchestra’s airy and warm Allegro introduction made for an inviting entrance into the work. Harel, relishing this quasi-musical embrace from the orchestra, was engaging throughout and impressed with finely honed articulation. The Hong Kong audience was captivated, though the hearty applause between every movement often disturbed the concert’s ebb and flow. Still, being customary in Mozart’s time, let’s just call it "historical performance practice" for now. Refreshingly, there was nothing overtly soloistic about Harel’s technical displays. He always maintained chamber music intimacy within the concerto setting and added Mozartian charm by way of phrasing and his treatment of ornaments.
The sublime simplicity of Mozart’s Adagio never ceases to amaze, and in Harel’s hands, the ethereality moved to another dimension with his super-hushed return to the opening theme that could well have read quadruple pianissimo in a score. The only blemish in an otherwise fun and spritely Rondo finale was one messy pickup where some players were caught off guard by Harel’s subtle rubato.
Klezmer’s Smile was certainly a leap from Mozart’s world, not to mention Hong Kong. But for all the broad grins and toe-tapping in the audience, the work’s title was right on the mark. Harel’s clarinet took on a new guise here, brilliantly showcasing his familiarity with the sighing melancholy and the rougher edges associated with Eastern European Jewish folk melody. Concertmaster James Cuddeford’s solo work was very well executed in his interaction with the soloist, and Harel once again managed to conjure practically inaudible sounds before leaping into the final capricious romp.
The opening of Dvořák’s cheerful Symphony no. 8 in G major was akin to a comforting hug from the Sinfonietta’s cello section. Even if the Bohemian folk-inspired melodies endured some dodgy intonation early on in the wind and brass, the joviality of the Allegro con brio wasn’t compromised. Lai’s finely shaped and peaceful Adagio allowed solo instruments to blossom. The solo violin's echo of the theme later on saw Cuddeford producing a refined sound and convincing double-stopping. Commendably, the first violins proved to be a rock solid section for much of the evening, notably in the Allegretto’s melancholic waltz where they shone unanimously.
The rousing trumpet fanfare that heralds the Allegro ma non troppo finale promised well but exposed poor tuning as it tapered. But as the theme-and-variations gained momentum, there was enough exciting brass playing to forget those early blemishes. As conductor Rafael Kubelik once said in a rehearsal, "Gentlemen, in Bohemia the trumpets never call to battle – they always call to the dance!” The Hong Kong Sinfonietta certainly made Dvořák’s Allegro finale dance.
