Mendelssohn to Yoo's Stradivarius

Rehearsals of the OFM with soloist Esther Yoo / OFM

Málaga, 11-28-2024

Teatro Cervantes

Soloist: Esther Yoo, violin.

Conductor: José María Moreno.

Program: The Sorcerer's Apprentice in F minor, IPD 1, by P. Dukas; Second Violin Concerto in E minor, op. 64, by F. Mendelssohn and Images (orchestral suite), by C. Debussy.

Two schools, French and German, have come together in the latest subscription program of the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra providing two perspectives on the rich romantic repertoire and its musical forms, specifically the concerto and the symphonic poem. At the time, it generated both merits and flaws in academic displays often charged with affectation.

The program unfolded with the news of Esteban Morales being appointed as thenew manager of the OFM, a development that pleases everyone as it represents an opportunity to end the ongoing crisis in the ensemble, which does nothing to benefit the artistic excellence of the Philharmonic in the short and medium term, and enhances its presence in the society to which it owes itself as a public institution.

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Only about a dozen pages of the impressionist composer P. Dukas survive, his perfectionist nature led him to disdain and destroy much of his work. Among the pages that have reached us is the symphonic poem The Sorcerer's Apprentice inspired by a poem by Goethe, which takes on visual and kinetic form thanks to the skilled crescendo woven over the obstinate that runs through the page, endowing it with plasticity thanks to the orchestral color contributed by the woodwinds and brass.

The reading was at times rushed, which did not clarify the abundant instrumental roster that featured noticeable misalignments in certain tutti sections. However, it is worth noting the tone of the strings, somewhat sharp against the round and dense output of the Mendelssohn that followed. The leadership of the strings by Yorrick Troman provided security to the music stands and cohesion between the sections, especially among the strings.

Six years were spent composing one of the most important pages of the romantic violin repertoire, the Second Violin Concerto by Mendelssohn, a score that, while following a classical formal structure, broadens its horizon in the abundant thematic flow of the three contrasting movements, achieving unity by being presented continuously. Details that were very present in the reading of the 1704 Stradivarius -Prince Obolensky - by the Korean-born violinist Esther Yoo, which was a display of virtuosity and musical taste. Notable was the dramatic balance between ensemble and soloist in the central movement compared to the brilliance of the closing movement, where we found Maestro Moreno's baton more focused.

And again, in contrast to the concerto form, Debussy in his triptych Images returns us to programmatic music. This was the OFM's first ensemble reading in which it is not possible to resort to the figure of Manuel de Falla, although it is possible to appreciate the inspiration that the French composer exerted on his work, even though both musicians have their own unique personalities. The version was intentional, sensitive in dynamics and coherent in tempo.