Hong Kong Sibelius and Bruckner: Daniel Lozakovich (violin), Hong Kong Philharmonic / Tarmo Peltokoski (conductor). Livestreamed on STAGE+ from the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong, 6.9.2024. (ES-S)
Sibelius – Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47
Bruckner – Symphony No.9 in D minor, WAB 109 (ed. Nowak)
An increasing number of music enthusiasts are recognizing the emergence of another remarkably talented Finnish conductor, even younger than the phenomenal Klaus Mäkelä (who also counts the legendary Jorma Panula among his mentors). Born in 2000, Tarmo Peltokoski is already associated with several prestigious ensembles. He currently serves as principal guest conductor of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and is the music director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. In addition, he is set to become the music director of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse in the 2025/26 season and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2026.
He conducted this season-opening concert of the latter, which was streamed live on STAGE+. The program featured two stylistically distinct yet equally renowned late Romantic masterpieces in D minor, premiered just one year apart: Bruckner’s Symphony No.9 in 1903 (in the now largely discarded Ferdinand Löwe version) and Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in 1904, in its original, unrevised form.
The soloist in Sibelius’s only concerto was Daniel Lozakovich, the young Swedish virtuoso renowned for his impeccable technique and the subtlety with which he shapes every phrase. Even before hearing the dark and mysterious orchestral introduction and the hauntingly lyrical first entry of the violin, the pressing question was how a collaboration between the soloist and the conductor – both of whom were teenagers not long ago – would illuminate the unique characteristics of Sibelius’s music and of this work in particular. Would they be able to convey the sense of melancholy rooted in a lifelong contemplation of the grandeur and solitude of the Finnish landscape? The fusion of emotion and austerity? And would they highlight the cohesiveness of the score?
Lozakovich’s approach was characterized not by power or a desire to dominate, but by great modesty, tonal beauty and lyrical introspection. His violin attempted to seamlessly integrate into the overall soundscape, especially in the first movement, where intertwining threads – intoned by violas, clarinets or bassoons – guided the musical flux in various directions. Colors and dynamics were delicately varied in the extended cadenza, which functions as a development section in the first Allegro, yet a sense of Nordic chill was insufficiently underlined. His silver-toned violin, full of warmth and feeling, imparted a fittingly rhapsodic, occasionally fragile quality to the Adagio’s music, while the rhythmic intricacies of the finale were dispatched with panache and bite. In a performance with just a few fleeting moments of hesitation in the coordination between soloist and ensemble, an objective Peltokoski supported his soloist with great care and rigor, while encouraging individual players to delve into the darker nuances of the musical landscape.
In the week when the musical world celebrates Bruckner’s 200th anniversary, performing his final symphony using the scholarly Nowak edition took on added significance.
Swinging between rich harmonies and statements of great clarity, sparsely making use of available means, the first movement of the unfinished symphony was rendered with commendable cohesiveness by Peltokoski and the Hong Kong Philharmonic instrumentalists. While the bow-wielding musicians could have played with greater warmth, the balance between strings and winds was almost always well maintained.
The feeling of relentless ascent towards an unseen summit, along with the Sisyphean connotations of steeply climbing one segment only to fall back, was effectively expressed. At the same time, the reappearance of several motifs that seemed to have exhausted their potential in new guises was clearly highlighted in a rendition that embraced unresolved dissonances.
The tension-filled Scherzo, compressed between two massive slow movements, was propelled by a compelling rhythmic drive. While the outer segments seemed to convey a seeping menace from an unknown source, the middle Trio was imbued with a sense of longing and sadness, alluding to the final movement.
Still sonically well-balanced and avoiding unnecessary pathos, the third movement was only a partially successful reconstruction of the sound cathedral that Bruckner meticulously and painstakingly built, with reverence, ‘ad maiorem Dei gloriam’. The conductor, likely too young to fully grasp the profound sense of piety that Bruckner – a deeply religious composer nearing his final days – embodied in this most wondrous and challenging Adagio, struggled to capture the full essence of the music.
Besides allowing one to ‘teleport’ into a performance that would otherwise be impossible to attend, a carefully directed streamed rendition offers fascinating close-up access to the facial expressions and gestures of the musicians involved. While some instrumentalists appeared more engaged than others, an overall devotion to their future music director was clearly palpable. As for Peltokoski, the assuredness and sense of control he displayed in conducting two challenging works without a score were truly remarkable for such a young conductor.
Edward Sava-Segal