Review | Immaculate Mozart concerto, compelling Hosokawa premiere by violinist Veronika Eberle and Hong Kong Sinfonietta under Christoph Poppen
- German played with subtlety and refinement, and very much in conversation with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, in Mozart’s third violin concerto
- In Genesis, written for her by Toshio Hosokawa, Eberle was fluid and assured. She and the Sinfonietta showed it to be a welcome addition to the repertoire
There was plenty of music for your buck in the Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s concert at Hong Kong City Hall on October 21 – two violin concertos, including a Hong Kong premiere, and two symphonies to boot.
In the all-Mozart first half, the Sinfonietta produced a refreshingly light and buoyant sound under their music director, Christoph Poppen. They showed stylistic poise in the composer’s Symphony No 33, then paired well with German violinist Veronika Eberle in an effervescent and nuanced rendition of the Violin Concerto No 3.
While much of the first violin articulation in the opening Allegro assai movement of the symphony was tight and crisp, it occasionally overshadowed the second violins sitting opposite. Later in the finale, too, it was less of an issue of volume but more a case of the section needing to project their rhythm with greater presence in order to balance the firsts.
The lovely lyricism from both oboists contributed to a finely woven Andante moderato under Poppen’s direction; more exaggeration of the Menuetto’s echo effects would have made for a more poignant contrast with the delightfully relaxed Trio nestled in between.
Even if the fires were a little dim here and there, the finale was suitably edgy and plenty of fun. The accents in the wind instruments were punctuated brilliantly and the overall rhythmic drive of the ensemble never let up.
