Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Concerts in Tokyo:

ロイヤル･リヴァプール･フィルハーモニー管弦楽団

英文記事
2024-05-15

Hindoyan and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra gave Japanese audiences clear music that was faithful to the score.

BY Katsuhiko Shibata (Music Critic)

A performance by the venerable Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra of England, led by Domingo Hindoyan (from El Sistema, Venezuela), who has been their chief conductor since 2021.The program for the first day in Tokyo consisted of Roussel’s “Bacchus et Ariane” Suite No. 2, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (solo by Nobuyuki Tsujii), and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.

Hindoyan’s approach to music making was to eliminate preconceived notions attached to the music, and to make sound from the score without pedantry, resulting in a clear musical development. The orchestra was of sufficient quality. Above all, the concert was a pleasant experience, with a sincere attitude toward the creation of good music.

Roussel’s music had a delicate beginning, a flexible development, and a colorful end. As was the case throughout today’s concert, the intensity and intonation were extremely clear.

In Rachmaninoff’s concerto, Tsujii played a strong and detailed solo, and the romantic orchestra overlapped with exquisite breathing. The second movement, in which a long-lived song is spun while the grainy piano and backing beautifully intertwine, is particularly outstanding. The piano was rarely overshadowed by the orchestra, making this one of Tsujii’s finest performances of a concerto. In addition, the encore of the lyrical “Bells” prelude was superb.

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 was the performance in which the aforementioned characteristics were most evident. The expression was flat without excessive seriousness, and all the beauty and exuberance came along with the music. This stylish performance is one of the ways an instrumental symphony should be performed.