Atherton Series
Hong Kong Philharmonic
Cultural Centre Concert Hall
16, 17 November, 2001

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra initiated a concert series featuring its conductor laureate, Maestro David Atherton, and the orchestra honoured him by playing to perfection.

The program began with Malcolm Arnold’s lively Four Scottish Dances and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Cellist Lynn Harrell, a favourite of Hong Kong audiences, returned triumphant with a spectacular performance of Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto.

The Philharmonic has matured wonderfully over the past years, and with the climax of the Elgar, as Maestro Atherton lead the orchestra to from the stillest whisper to an overwhelming rapture in the Nimrod variation, proved its place as a world class orchestra. Superb intonation, beautiful depth of tone, and admirable precision of ensemble were displayed throughout the concert.

The heart of a symphony orchestra is its French horn section. They not only hold center stage and provide the basic harmony, but are often the favorite of composers to provide the ultimate musical climax. The Philharmonic’s horn section is truly extraordinary, and under the leadership of principal Mark Vines made the concert glorious.

Most noteworthy in the concerto were gorgeous moments closing the second movement, in which a chorale played by the horn section accompanied by the low strings was answered by the solo cellist, playing three- and four-part polyphony.

Soloist Lynn Harrell showed fluency in the most difficult passages, and balance between the orchestra and soloist was so fine that only for a very few seconds in the entire piece was the soloist covered by the orchestra.

Also deserving of mention was Dennis Kim Jin-soo’s violin solo in the final movement, played with verve and delight to the obvious appreciation of Harrell.