‘Maestro med mange talenter’ var overskriften på denne anden koncert med Toshiyuki Kamioka som chefdirigent for Copenhagen Phil. Og foruroligende nok var det som dirigent, at Kamioka fremstod mest inkonsistent.

Af Andrew Mellor

I første del af koncerten sluttede den japanske maestro sig til fire medlemmer af orkestret for at opføre Schumanns Klaverkvintet (op. 44). At få den nye chef til at spille kammermusik med sine kolleger er en sympatisk måde at lære ham bedre at kende både for orkestrets musikere og Copenhagen Phils meget engagerede publikum.

I Schumanns kvintet varslede det godt nyt. Kamioka “jokede” med nodevenderen, og det viste os, at han har en humoristisk sans og ikke tager sig selv alt for alvorligt. Hans smukke, midlertidige evner bag klaveret viste, at han er en “rigtig” musiker, der både er i stand til at lytte og understøtte i stedet for at dominere. Opførelsen var forholdsvis anonym, men instrumenterne balancerede smukt og det var pænt eksekveret.

Denne underspillede tilgang fungerede bedst i andensatsen af Schumann, hvor det “prikkende” tema drev fremad som en himmelsk spinderok. Jon Gjesme spillede sin violinsolo med bredde og tålmodighed, og det var en fornøjelse at høre Eva Katrine Dalsgaards bratsch. Musikerne virkede trygge og afslappede, som om de ikke havde noget at bevise overfor den nye chef. Hvis Kamioka kan skabe en sådan atmosfære, så ser det lyst ud for orkestret.

Men ikke alle var lige begejstrede for denne lidt usædvanlige koncertopbygning, som åbnede med Ejnar Kandings ‘Schichtstruktur’. Et pænt og enkelt stykke med ekko-effekter, som blev spillet sikkert af Copenhagen Phils cellist Richard Krug. Manden, der sad foran mig, var irriteret over, at han havde betalt for at opleve et symfoniorkester, men ved pausen havde hele ensemblet endnu ikke vist sig på scenen.

Kompensationen kom efter pausen med en af de helt store symfoniske pragtværker fra forrige århundrede: Prokofievs femte symfoni. Værket er slagfærdigt og satirisk men også elegant, lyrisk og tragisk. Styrken ligger i en tydelig præsentation af symfoniens temaer og den efterfølgende brutale ændring af disse melodier med et barbarisk orkester, der er domineret af messing og slagtøj.

Et problem ved Kamiokas opførelse var, at temaerne ikke blev præsenteret tydeligt nok, og derfor oplevede vi ikke Prokofievs enorme bølge af lyd folde sig organisk ud. Et andet problem var Kamiokas valg af tempi: tempoet i starten af symfonien var alt for langsomt, mens det gik alt for hurtigt for mange Copenhagen Phils musikere i anden sats. Det var som om, at disse tempi var tænkt til et andet orkester i en anden koncertsal.

Kamioka leverede kraft og chok i de helt store øjeblikke undervejs, især vil jeg fremhæve de sidste takter af første, anden og fjerde sats. Men i perioder lød orkestret slapt, sjusket og musikerne virkede usikre på både tempi og retning (især i fjerde sats). Kamioka lavede for mange indsatser undervejs, som forvirrede mere end de gavnede. Her ville den gyldne regel om, »at lade orkestret spille selv« havde været på sin plads.

Jeg kender Copenhagen Phil, og ved at de kan spille dette vanskelige repertoire langt bedre. Orkestret har hyret en karismatisk kunstner i Kamioka, som har en personlighed, der stråler ned fra scenen. Så må vi bare håbe, at han viser sig at være en bedre dirigent, når det kommer til teknik og temperament, end denne koncert viste.

Copenhagen Phil / Toshiyuki Kamioka
Konservatoriets Koncertsal, 27.1.17

Foto: Anne Mie Dreves

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[ENGLISH VERSION]

For a different orchestra in a different concert hall

‘Maestro with Many Talents’ was the title for Toshiyuki Kamioka’s second concert as chief conductor of the Copenhagen Phil. It was apparent on Friday that some of those talents shine brighter than others. And worryingly, it was in the conducting department that Kamioka was left looking most inconsistent.

By Andrew Mellor

Before the interval, the Japanese maestro joined members of the orchestra for Schumann’s Piano Quintet Op 44. Getting the new boss to play chamber music with his colleagues is a good way of endearing him both to his new players and to the Copenhagen Phil’s very engaged audience.

In the Schumann, the omens were good. Kamioka’s jokes with the page-turner showed us he had a sense of humour and didn’t take himself too seriously. His beautiful, recessed performance on the piano suggested he was a real musician capable of listening and supporting rather than dominating. The performance didn’t have superlative colour or character but it was attractively blended and nicely settled.

This understated approach worked particularly nicely in Schumann’s second movement, notably the largamente idea that floods the prickly discourse with peace like a heavenly spinning wheel. Jon Gjesme played his solo with breadth and patience and it was a treat to hear the woody tone of Eva Katrine Dalsgaard’s viola. The players appeared to feel totally at ease, as if they had nothing to prove. If Kamioka can create such an atmosphere, then things look good.

But not everyone was happy about this concert’s unusual structure, which opened with Schichtstruktur by Ejnar Kanding, a neat and simple echo-effect piece confidently played by the Copenhagen Phil’s cellist Richard Krug. The man sat in front of me was irritated that he’d paid to see an orchestral concert but by the interval an orchestra had yet to appear.

Compensation came after the pause in the form of one of the great symphonic showpieces of the last century: Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony. The piece is quick-witted and satirical on the one hand, but elegant, lyrical and tragic on the other. It’s power is founded on the clear presentation of melodies and the subsequent brutalizing and quashing of those melodies by a barbaric orchestra dominated by brass and percussion.

One problem with Kamioka’s performance was that those melodies weren’t presented clearly enough and we never felt as though Prokofiev’s huge roll of sound was unfurling organically. Another problem was with Kamioka’s speeds: overly slow at the start and too quick for many Copenhagen Phil players in the second movement Allegro marcato. These felt like speeds conceived for a different orchestra in a different concert hall.

Kamioka delivered power and shock in the symphony’s big moments, notably the final bars of the first, second and fourth movements. But in between the orchestra often sounded slack, untidy and unsure of both tempo and direction (particularly in the fourth movement). Kamioka’s insistence on signaling way too many instrumental entries seemed only confused the players even more. This is when one of the golden rules of conducting – ‘let the orchestra play’ – would have come in useful.

Anyone who knows the Copenhagen Phil knows that it can do far better than this in difficult repertoire. The orchestra has signed a characterful artist in Kamioka whose personality beams off the stage. We can only hope he proves to be a better conductor, in technique and temperament, than this concert suggested.

Copenhagen Phil/Toshiyuki Kamioka
Konservatoriets Koncertsal, 27.1.17

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