Review: Pianist Ben Kim and Hong Kong Sinfonietta - Romantic promise

Christoph Poppen's debut as principal guest conductor with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta showed real promise for the ensemble's future growth. In this concert of Romantic music, he brought out the best in the strings and instilled discipline in the winds, brass and percussion.

Mendelssohn's Overture highlighted rich brass chords that were played solidly in tune. The strings dug in with a warm, full sound. The music had an appropriate German "accent" (Poppen is German), with the unique emphasis and shape in each phrase that made the music convincing.

Chopin's is, in truth, a piano solo with orchestral back-up. Chopin put only 1 per cent of his attention on the orchestration. But who cares? It is magnificent, with unforgettable themes developed with his passionate embroidery. The opening was firmly played, and the orchestra gave excellent support to the soloist, always tightly together at every tempo, notably with some pinpoint pizzicatos in the basses and cellos.

Pianist Ben Kim played with elegance and poetry. His gentle beginning seemed like preparation for a fiery explosion, but that never arrived. Even with his somewhat subdued dynamics, Chopin's figures whirled with exhilarating momentum. The slow movement was a gorgeous, velvety mist.

The third movement, had a teasing rhythm, a fantasy dance not for human feet. At times it seemed to require two virtuosos, one for each hand. Kim played with finesse but without letting the energy come to a boil. After too much of this, the effect was like palm fronds listlessly waving.