Conductor: Emilia Hoving
Soloist: Inmo Yang (violin)
It’s a measure of Opera North’s reach these days that this concert featured a South Korean violinist and a Finnish conductor, both extremely young and both incredibly talented. The result was another remarkable concert.
The full extent of Inmo Yang’s virtuosity was only apparent in his encore; before that his prodigious technique was very much at the disposal of Brahms’ inspiration in his Violin Concerto. Just as Brahms eschewed showiness in the piece, so Yang favoured intensity over excess, both he and the orchestra balancing delicacy of phrasing and moments of dynamic attack, notably in the spacious first movement where fiery drama and relaxed lyricism co-exist side by side.
The programme relates Pablo Sarasate’s dislike for the concerto, seemingly based on the fact that the soloist was compelled to stand there and listen while the oboe played the best tune in the piece! The second movement is taken up by three different treatments of that wonderful tune: the oboe solo (Richard Hewitt), then the violin soloist transforming it, then – a magical surprise – the soloist turning accompanist, delicately embellishing the orchestra. About the glorious finale all one can say is that it’s 10 minutes of delight for anyone who shares Brahms’ love of Hungarian gypsy music.
The only unknown piece began the programme: Britta Bystrom’s A Walk to Brahms’s Violin Concerto. One of a series of works where Bystrom walks towards a great work by introducing sparing extracts from it, it proved surprisingly attractive, from the walking rhythm on lower strings at the outset through a dramatic climax to a gentle falling away on strings – all with “fingerprints” from the Brahms Violin Concerto.
The orchestra and Hoving’s dynamic conducting came into their own in the Fifth Symphony of Tchaikovsky. Listening to this it was apparent that Tchaikovsky kept a tighter hand on construction than in earlier works, but what was most striking was the foregrounding of woodwind instruments. It may be the horn (elegantly played by Alexander Hamilton) that introduces the famous melody of the second movement and the brass, complete with mighty tuba (Brian Kingsley), that raise the hair on the back of your neck in the finale, but throughout there are magical solos for woodwind. Oliver Casanovas Nuevo’s lovely clarinet solo in the second movement and Adam Mackenzie’s almost comical bassoon in the third movement will do to highlight Tchaikovsky’s love of woodwinds – and what about the writing for clarinets and bassoons together at the end of the third movement?
As for Emilia Hoving, she was a total revelation, driving the orchestra to precisely judged climaxes of real power, lovingly bringing out small details and maintaining a sense of momentum even in quieter passages. She was clearly delighted with the orchestra’s performance; so were we. She is conducting The Magic Fluteon tour; let us hope that she will reappear at Huddersfield – and, indeed, Leeds Grand.
Reviewed on 27th February 2025
The Reviews Hub Score
Wonderful concert!
