Lovely playing in a lovely programme

A favourite overture, a piano concerto and also a Romantic masterpiece entertained the capacity audience at DFP, KLCC on 22 March 2014. Both conductor Pablo Gonzalez and soloist Javier Perianes were Spanish and made their DFP debut. The overture was Rossini's William Tell Overture. Principal cellist Csaba Koros played a beautifully mellow opening cello solo. Conductor Gonzalez ensured the "storm" section was suitably dramatic, before an appropriately pastoral and mellow interpretation of the cor anglais solo by Denis Simonnet. After the final gallop, the performance brought rousing cheers from the audience. The piano concerto was a tad slow in terms of tempi but the two Spanish musicians gave a very concentrated account of Chopin's First Piano Concerto. Perianes has a nice, silky and lovely touch and this worked to wondrous effect in the first two movements especially. The last movement lacked some lift but the audience loved the whole performance overall. Perianes delighted the audience with yet another piece of Chopin for his encore - the C sharp minor posthumous Nocturne. We also witnessed a very good interpretation of Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben. This was programmed to celebrate the German composer's 150th birthday. The opening movement (The Hero) was suitably symphonic, but with very flaccid trumpets. The second movement (The Critics) was suitably biting and venomous. However, the third movement (The Hero's Companion) was quite heavy and not very capricious at all. Leader Anna Resniak needed to play off the string more, rather than on the string. The rest of the piece was magnificently played though. The Battle scene was suitably grand and the retirement was wound down slowly and calmly. The two Spanish artists did very well and should be invited back in future MPO seasons, possibly in Spanish fare next time.