Review | Hong Kong Philharmonic and Paavo Järvi’s shattering Shostakovich 5 caps all-Russian programme

Ferocious woodwinds and brass, strings that were by turns vulnerable and impassioned, a mocking final fanfare – HK Phil were chilling in Shostakovich symphony

Concert under the Estonian conductor began with a romp through Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, and Stravinsky’s violin concerto with soloist Alena Baeva

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Estonian-American guest conductor Paavo Järvi had the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra on a tight rein in an all-Russian concert of music by Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky and Shostakovich at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on March 29, 2024. Photo: Keith Hiro/HK Phil

Published: 4:45pm, 1 Apr 2024

From the exuberance of a fiesta to expressions of profound despair, the Hong Kong Philharmonic hit the mark at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on Good Friday.

Returning after last year’s Sibelius and Liszt concert, Estonian maestro Paavo Järvi led a diverse, all-Russian programme featuring Stravinsky’s violin concerto with soloist Alena Baeva, and two popular orchestral works by Rimsky-Korsakov and Shostakovich.

Rimsky-Korsakov sought musical inspiration from the sunny South just as compatriots Glinka and Tchaikovsky did before him, and unlike them he had actually visited Spain.

In 1887, he decided to “upgrade” an earlier Spanish-themed piece he wrote for solo violin solo and orchestra into five-movement romp for the whole orchestra with splashes of festive flair.

And a romp it was in the hands of Järvi and the orchestra as they began the concert with the Capriccio Espagnol.