"Nocturnes" by Kazuo Ishiguro

I have not read a fiction cover to cover for years, let alone doing it within 24 hours. There is something very gripping in the atmosphere of the writing that makes it impossible to put down this book. Strange though, because the stories are so gentle they are on the verge of being uneventful, with almost no drama, but the relevance and fluidity of the events give a sense of slow burning and silent storm striking akin to listening to Sibelius' symphonies - his would-be 8th maybe, in five movements - each story corresponds to a movement with the final one cleverly unifying all the themes and motifs that appear in the preceding four. Ishiguro does not use music to generate atmospheres the way Murakami does, but music serves as a common thread in the book, a common interest that brings people together, but not one that keeps people together. Setting these stories against "music" and "nightfall" is an intriguing irony that makes one wonder if impermanence in human relationships is a beautiful thing afterall, and the author appears subtly judgemental on this subject. A very clever and thoughtful book. I should read more.



This entry was originally published in my private Instagram account.

Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Trifonov / Philharmonia / Temirkanov)

16th April, 2015
Royal Festival Hall, London, United Kingdom

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh" Overture
RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 1
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8

Daniil Trifonov (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Yuri Temirkanov (conductor)



You've got to admit, there is a very good reason why Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 1" is not played very often - it is pretty linear, mono-layer and honestly uninteresting with little delectable melodies and the orchestra doing bare minimum. The coughs, snores (yes, snores) and fangirl screamings from the audience tonight made better polyphony and rhythmic vitality than the music. It takes a certain Daniil Trifonov (the gentleman next to me - born 1991 according to Wikipedia in case you wonder) to make firework out of the piece to make it just about enjoyable. You can easily see why he is the hottest pianist on the planet today that even Martha Argerich gives him the highest praises. He belongs to the proud Russian lineage of pianists like Gilels and Richter who can make drama out of absolute nothing, and he practically turned the concerto into his own personal playground. It wasn't just the techniques that was impressive. He is capable of drawing out so many different shades and colours on the piano that he singlehandedly put the orcherstra to shame. The firm basses, the delicate inner voicings, the crisp melodic shapings, that enormous wall of sound from the first movement cadenza, the drama, the introspective delicacy, you name it. That alone was worth the time. The second half was Dvořák 8 conducted by Yuri Temirkanov (Philharmonia). I thought it was a dreadful performance, but the audience seemed to like it a lot. It was the most dreary performance of the "Symphony" I have ever heard. The tempi of the piece inconsistent and all over the place, the balance of the orchestra questionable with random brasses sticking out like sore thumbs, and overall the orchestra sounded totally uninterested. The conductor took so much effort to punch out every note in certain phrases to emphasise the contrapunctal writings and it was painful to hear. I saw Norman Lebrecht in the audience. I wonder what he will say tomorrow.



This entry was originally published in my private Instagram account.

Respighi: Roman Trilogy (Philharmonia / Valcuha)

16th April, 2015
Royal Festival Hall, London, United Kingdom

OLGA NEUWIRTH Un posto nell'acqua
OLGA NEUWIRTH locus . . . doublure. . . solus

Mei Yi Foo (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Clement Power (conductor)

RESPIGHI Fontane di Roma
DE FALLA Nights in the Gardens of Spain
RESPIGHI Feste romane
RESPIGHI Pini di Roma

Ingrid Fliter (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra
Juraj Valčuha (conductor)



I AM DEAF. I think I have just heard all the live music I need for the next 10 years. The evening started with two uncompromising works by Olga Neuwirth, an "Oiseaux exotiques"-esque piano concerto (very colourful and dynamic stuff), and an ensemble work that challenges every auditory sense one has. I cannot describe it fully, but it started off with a "Pli selon Pli"-esque bang, full of "atmosphères" sound mass, in microscopic descending figures with some strings in natural harmonics and/or microtones lurking in the background perpetually, with parts for electric guitar and amplified electric celesta (?). It was quite uncomfortable to listen to after a bit, but it was a surreal experience to hear it live. The main event was Respighi's Roman Trilogy performed by Philharmonia conducted by Juraj Valcuha (stepping in for the late Lorin Maazel). Yes, I got a seventh row ticket bang in the middle of the hall seeing the conductor at face level at the last minute. That meant I had 80 people including 11 percussionists, the new RFH organ, multiple on- and off-stage brasses, taped bird songs and a mandolin blasting at full volume about 20 steps away from me at me the whole evening. It was physically painful, but really, what are the chances of hearing "Feste romane" live? The real winner for me this evening, actually, were the serene "Fountains of Rome" and de Falla's "Nights in the Gardens of Spain". I have never ever heard the de Falla this exhilarating. Moreover, you know the soloist totally absorbed the music when you can see her (Ingrid Fliter) banging to the dance rhythms, swinging to the viola groove, playing toccata on the right hand, dueting with the upper strings on the left hand whilst tapping her feet in high heels at the same time. If you think about it, both the Respighi and the de Falla are some sort of musical magic transforming the static to the dynamic. Absolutely breathtaking music through and through. The sheer volume and density of content of the past four hours were overwhelming. I think both my body and mind need to rest for a very long time to recover from all these.



This entry was originally published in my private Instagram account.