Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra

Click pics to enlarge: Top, Principals Winds; Clarinet, Zuo Cheng 左丞; Bassoon, Hsieh Ming-Ching 谢明静; Flute (assistant P) Rao Dan 饶丹; Oboe, Cui Xiaozheng 崔晓峥. In my view, the SZSO winds are fabulous and coherent, a feeling I never get with the HKPO, despite individual excellence.

Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra Recorded Concerts
Letter from Shenzhen (22-7): Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra
Streaming Classical (22-6): SZSO Videos

It has been a frustrating few months for the SZ concertgoer. Ever since Hong Kong’s massive Covid Fifth Wave (Omicron) started and spilled over into China, Shenzhen has gone into constant cycles of alert: massive testing mode, imposition of restrictions, and cancellation of concerts, including 2 that I most look forward to, Bruckner 7th and 4th. :-(

So nothing for a while, but suddenly, for the past weeks, SZSO has gone active on the internet, and in quick succession offered many recorded concerts for streaming. The programs so far overlap with but do not exactly match those of the canceled concerts. So some of these were planned anew and carried out expediently, and many are works the orchestra had played before. These were recorded mostly not in their main performing venue, the Shenzhen Concert Hall, but in an unspecified hall, likely their headquarter in SZ (Luohu area).

The administration of the SZSO exasperates me. These concerts were announced almost last minute on their Official Account (公众号) on wechat, and one better subscribes to it to receive the news. Incidentally, they seem to have finally revamped their long dilapidated Official Webpage, and it looks better than before (here and here), but I have little faith they will keep it consistently updated (China has basically abandoned the web and focused on smart phones apps - many things can be found only through cellphone apps and wechat official accounts).

These videos were recorded live without an audience, and cast on Bilibili.com (which I use, as I have its app on my Windows laptop) or Wechat and 小红书, usually at the concert time of 8 pm. Some become permanently available later, some are not - there’s no rationale to it (perhaps some are held back because the conductor is not satisfied? I wonder). Here are archived videos and here is the Live Room (only when there is a cast). I am not sure the links will work; if not try searching in Chinese 深圳交响乐团 ). Here are a few I listened to:

4/17 Conductor Lin Daye 林大叶
2012 winner of the prestigious Solti International Competition, Lin is Musical Director of the SZSO. So far I have been very happy with him, live as well as, as we shall see, virtually. This Mahler is creme de la creme.

Concert started with a (Chinese Award Winning) tone poem of veteran Ye Xiaogang (美丽乡村), which SZSO had played before and available on Bilibili. (I am indifferent to the vast number of tone poems by modern composers, which come with meaningless notes in concert). And then, Mahler Symphony No.1, in a Titanic performance (punt intended)! The orchestra was well nigh perfect, and amazingly thoroughly into the idiom. Interestingly, Lin adhered to the Viennese orchestral placement, with divided violins, and the brass stood up for the rousing finale. And the orchestral playing had more than a little Viennese feeling to it, especially the beautiful strings. Lin has again proven himself as a excellent Mahlerian (I attended his very good M5, each of the 5 movements irritatingly available separately on Bilibili: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; note the Hall is not the Shenzhen Concert Hall, but the Bay Opera Concert Hall). This performance of the M1 was much more impressive than Jaap van Zweden 10 years ago (I watched his RTHK Telecast with the HKPO before attending his concert with the NYPO).

I “attended” this concert “together” with shidi, Andrew (in HK). I am glad he scrambled last minute and enjoyed it! While listening, we were texting on wechat, commenting in real time on aspects of performance (and the great looking ladies) - it was simply great, and he said next time he’s going to have wine and nuts around. Try this with a friend! Even over distance, we had this camaraderie feeling, not easy to come by these days!

The great Mahler is now available on Bilibili for viewing (here). I urge you to do so.

4/14 Conductor Lin Daye
Concert opened with Bruch Violin Concerto No.1. Soloist Wu Qian 吴倩, a SZ local, was better than her performance of a year ago (here). Orchestral contribution was excellent. Amazingly, I found out she’s now one of the tutti first violins! Perhaps the experience has already helped her. In the Mahler 1st video (link above) she can be seen behind the concertmaster, next to a beautiful lady with pony-tail.

Then followed, amen for making up for the canceled concert, the Bruckner Symphony No.4. Just like the Mahler (above), it was a highly satisfying, thoroughly idiomatic performance. The difficult 4th movement was structurally sound and well controlled. Bravo!

This concert is unfortunately not available for replay at the moment on Bilibili.com. I wonder why!

3/4 Conductor Huang Yi 黄屹
This young conductor (bio here) has risen incredibly fast in China. He’s now one of the Principal Conductors of China Philharmonic, Chief Conductor of the National Ballet Symphony Orchestra (Beijing) and Artistic Director of the Nie Er 聂耳Symphony Orchestra (Kunming).

Concert started with a well turned Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite. The neoclassical style continued with Francaix’s excellent but little played L’Horloge de Flore for Oboe and Orchestra, expertly played by veteran Oboist Chen Qing 陈擎 (now head 团长of the Quanzhou Symphony). Then followed a disciplined Brahms 4th, ending a highly satisfying concert.

The Stravinsky is available on Bilibili (here) whereas the Francaix is not. The Brahms is not either, but the last 2 movements are available in an educational program (here, with a host introducing the pieces, sort of like a pre-concert talk; likely shot just before the performance of the whole symphony). Cut out the other stuff and start at 36:45.

June 2021

Duly impressed by the young conductor, I searched for other videos. Lo and behold, there was a concert last year  (here), which I regret I had missed! Damn! It started with Wagner Meistersinger Overture, which I had heard the SZSO play under their former director, Ehwald (here). At 17’ came the Saint Saens Violin Concerto No.3 (don’t know who’s the competent soloist). But the real meat came at 59’ for Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Most of us know this warhorse inside out, and I can say nothing much has perked up my ears this past decade, but the way Huang judiciously point and punctuate the music here and there is mightily impressive. One of the best accounts I have heard for a long time.

Hungry for more, I dug out his Dvorak Symphony No.9 with the Kunming Symphony (here). The video is subpar and the orchestra made mistakes (so not for everyone) but the overall narrative and flow was impressive. A young man to watch!

4/6 Conductor Lin Daye
Concert started with Haydn Trumpet Concerto (here), perfectly played by the Principal, but a little more smiling would not be amiss (lack of audience is probably worst for a soloist). Then came a chaste and properly turned Prokofiev Classical Symphony (here). It showed off the strings, anchored by the excellent playing of Concertmaster Guo Shuai 郭帅. Last was Copland Apalachian Spring (here), which was decently played, but lacking a little in a sense of the theater to bring it completely to life. For Lin, a good concert but not on the level of his Mahler and Bruckner, or Strauss.

Most of the above I watched at the designated “Live” Cast hour. And then I went back and streamed a few more.

4/2 Conductor Liu Min 刘明
This reduced orchestra concert displayed unusually mature Mozart playing. You would be amazed how many western orchestras often cannot do Mozart with style as good as livered here! The ensemble is really small for the lovely Divertimento No. 11 in D K251 (here). More strings were employed (just the right number for me) for one of Mozart’s best symphonies, the sunny Symphony No. 29 (here). In between is the Piano Concerto No. 12 in A (here). Veteran pianist Yuan Fang 袁芳 is a SZ fixture (often as host in interviews and pre-concert talks). She played simply and directly. The whole thing is intimate and very enjoyable.

2/25 Conductor Zhao Xiaoou 赵晓鸥
The young conductor is associate professor at the Shanghai Conservatory and director of the (very important) Music Middle School under the Conservatory (like the Juilliard Pre-College). Kodaly Dances of Galanta was very well played and enjoyable. Most importantly, it had a good Hungarian and Gypsy flavor, so often missing in performances and recordings. As with most of the modern works, Shi Yongkang’s Memento for French Horn and Orchestra (played steadily by Gu Cong) was dispensable for me. Fortunately, concert ended on a high note with Dvorak Symphony No. 8, which was given a fluid performance of considerable merit. It balanced classical virtues with passion when needed. Everything just flowed naturally (starts at 35:26).

I am not sure readers in HK or the West can access these videos, but I have culled some of the best ones here, and I hope someone can enjoy.

The incomparablePrincipal Cellist, Karen Kocharyan

Unfaltering Principal Horn XuYiqi 徐毅奇

Concertmaster Guo Shuai 郭帅