Tokyo Performances

Busan Philharmonic Orchestra

Asia Orchestra Week
Tokyo Opera City
4 October 2008

As part of the Asia Orchestra Week, the Busan (or is it Pusan?) Philharmonic performed under the direction of Alexander Anissimov. Notable for the large number of women in the ensemble, compared to Japanese orchestras at least, the group played enthusiastically in a very alive hall. The sound was so bright at times I wondered if the hall had been recently "tuned" or if the orchestra was just very bright sounding.

The program opened with Kim Ok Sung's "A Song of Good Harvest", a banal piece I'd guess based on Korean folk motifs and of the Vaughan-Williams meets Korea with startling Latin dance percussion rhythm in parts. It was short and forgettable.

Next was Barber's violin concerto performed by Dennis Kim. Having heard a fine performance in 2005 by Reiko Watanabe, this performance was pedestrian in comparison. The violin was sometimes completely covered by the orchestra, and the solo work in the first two movements was just OK. Kim did come alive in the brief third movement, which requires virtuoso technique, but the entirety was at best pleasant.

After the intermission there was an acceptable performance of Shostakovich's 5th symphony. Having heard all of Shostakovich's symphonies last year, I had high expectations. The playing was spirited, and the performance was very good but not exceptional. Part of the problem was an occasional lapse in intonation. But, the winds were excellent.

An encore of another Korean folk tune based orchestral work closed an interesting but unremarkable experience.

posted by Larry Wells @ 5:35 PM