Magnificent LSO, FP Zimmermann & Harding concerts

2 & 3 May 2007 (FP Zimmermann, LSO, Daniel Harding)

Another 2 international concerts of pith and moment! Thank goodness, Lang Lang was given a music award in London! He cancelled, I was pleased but there were many ticket returns from "lots of Malaysians that had musically-deficient ears". Dvorak's The Golden Spinning Wheel Op 109 (with the magnificent LSO horns, led by the superb David Pyatt) was the piece that replaced Mozart's Piano Concerto No 17. Our MPO horn players certainly could learn a thing or two from David Pyatt and company. Not only were the LSO horns superb, the excellent guest concertmaster was Andrew Haveron and he made some sweet and delightful sounds in the Dvorak. Another superbly played Mahler Symphony No 5 concluded the first night's programme (It was one of the very best Mahler 5s heard at the DFP hall!).

On the 2nd night, we had the privilege to watch Frank Peter Zimmermann in Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto (which was given a very poor showing by Chantal Juillet, Matthias Bamert and the MPO earlier in the season). This was how Berg should be played – technically secure and emotionally involving (unlike the uncertain Juillet/Bamert performance). The LSO and Harding gave yet another virtuoso showing in Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique with The Star Wars (Main Title) theme for the encore (on both nights). The audience truly enjoyed themselves.