KATHIMERINI SUNDAY
NOVEMBER 4th 2007
Inspired
“Colours” for Edvard Grieg
Event dedicated to composer – Review by N. A. Dontas
The Orchestra of Colours continues dedicating
thematic sections to a single topic and it presents composers who are “left
aside” from their surroundings. During its most recent event, the Orchestra
performed a lot of Edward Grieg’ s most important opus. This “overdose” of
Grieg’ s plays – which was organized in commemoration of the composer’s death
100 years ago - was fully compensated by
the Orchestra’s unique performance, under the direction of Yang Yang. Yang Yang
is a young Chinese music director, who won the first price at the International
Competition “Dimitris Mitropoulos” in 2006.
The concert took place in the Friends
of Music Hall on the 18th of October. During the concert, the
following were performed:
Special Tinctures
The orchestra showed indeed its best
face, in spite of the known difficulties it deals with. The contribution of its
winds, woodwinds and brass stood out. However, what made a special impression were
the great ensembles of stringed instruments, where romanticism’s music
decisively depends on. Yang Yang was miraculous, as he directed the Orchestra
with a high precision technique. Even from the first minute one could
distinguish the well-defined organization of the Orchestra in an architectural
form which had beginning, middle-part and an end and was separated in clear-cut
subsections. The result was characterized by pliancy and movement. The four
parts of Peer Gynt Suite formed special “stations” in one cohesive dramatic
narration, while its of them had its won internal organization and sentimental
temper. The young Chinese – who directed all pieces by heart! - did not settle for generalized expressions,
but he managed to create gradations and special, distinctive tinctures for
every occasion: some for the “death of Åse”,
others for the slow and epic parts of Holberg Suite. Yang’s performance truly
lived up to “Dimitris Mitropoulos” Competition and its results.