David Zinman and HKPO

24th January 2009

2000 HKCC


Webern: Passacaglia

Mahler: Symphony no.10 -Adagio

Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra





This concert marked my first concert in 2009 and the last one in the Year of the Rat. For whatever reason, the hall was merely half-filled. Yet Zinman and the orchestra has certainly given their full.



Webern was not a composer that I was familiar with, now was the general "second Vienesse school". As with many among the audience, Mahler and Strauss were what I was looking forward to. The Mahler Sym.10 is every bit as gripping as a heart attack, literally angina pectoris. The soaring strings threatens to suffocate one's soul. Special credit must go to the principal Horn, whose marvellous technique and warm tone cradles the moving strings melodies lovingly.



Although the Einletung in Also Sprach Zarathustra could be done with a bit more zest and grandeur (especially the tam-tam..who seems to have bilateral upper limb weakness), the subsequent parts more than compensated in terms of content and emotional impact. Zinman is an effective and direct conductor with clear indications, and the orchestra is happy to follow suit. Solo passages were all brilliantly carried out, yet the strings and woodwind as a whole still have much room for improvement. HKPO does not lack individual soloists, it just needs quite a few more to bring itself further up.



Tonite was also the first time I heard the organ in HKCC, well, rather a disappointment to be frank. I don't really know whether its the player's problem or that of the instrument. The one in the Philharmonie in Berlin certainly sounds much much grander.

Leon Fleisher -- Two Hands

初聽鋼琴音樂的人，未必知道 Leon Fleisher 是何許人。論年資，他1928年出生，是Schnabel的徒弟。五六十年代已是首屈一指的鋼琴大師，所錄製的Beethoven和Brahms Concertos至今仍是神檯級數的版本。之所以名氣略遜，乃由於右手得了Focal Dystonia，以致Flexion contracture，40年來以教學為主，偶爾錄製Ravel Piano Concerto for Left hand。拜Botulinum Toxin所賜，加上他的不懈努力，2004年終於出了多年來首張雙手彈琴的Recital CD >。

除了Schubert sonata D960外還有Bach, Scarlatti, Chopin, Debussy 的小品。都是些學琴必會彈過的小曲。看廚師工夫看蛋炒飯，一首Chopin Nocturne 在他指下意味深長，那肯定聽過Scarlatti K380 (L23) 如夜明珠閃閃生輝， Debussy 的 Claire de lune 更是攝人神魂，而Fleisher一生的起跌奮鬥盡在重頭戲Schubert D960 中昇華。這隻CD，讓世人重新認識一代大師的風範！

靈山

高行健的《靈山》因２０００年得了諾貝爾獎紅極一時，早就想拜讀，沒想到一擱便八個寒暑，初中生也快大學畢業。也好，要不當時讀了也必然一頭霧水，不得要領。

每個人都有自己一座靈山，有的確切，有的虛無，有的先確切後虛無，有的先虛無後確切。有人早早找到靈山，有人遍尋不獲，有人找到了卻不知道，有人以為找到了卻又一場空。這終點找不找到雖是目的，但又無關重要。重要的是那過程。這靈山既是目的地，也在旅途之中。

此書有如馬勒的交響曲，初聽不易消化，讀著讀著便津津有味。也如馬勒對交響曲的觀念一樣，這小說也包含整個世界。從盤古初開到文化革命，從生命到死亡，從男人到女人，從禽獸到人類，從天堂到地獄，從回憶到憧憬，從孩子到老人，從文學到生活…包羅萬有。

那書籤是早前遊歐洲在畢加索故居時買的，居然和書中好些意境遙相呼應，甚喜。想想高行健、馬勒、畢加索同為藝術，藝術由人而起，人在藝術之中，自然都萬佛不離宗了。