PRSO impresses – nay takes the breath away!
A reviewer for the website Opera Plus shared his impressions of a Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra season-ticket holders concert at the Rudolfinum on 2 November in a text that, with the kind permission of the media outlet in question, we are reposting on our own site:
On the evidence of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra’s performance at the Dvořák Hall it is most apparent that the players and principal conductor Ondrej Lenárd understand one another. On one hand a relaxed mood emanates from the stage; on the other every musician gives their all. The orchestra’s members respect dynamics without the need for grand gestures by the conductor. Thanks to the finely honed performance the exclusively romantic repertoire selected for the evening in question exceeded expectations.
The orchestra with concertmaster Petr Zdvihal, featuring a composed woodwind section and a sparkling English horn player, performed coherently and smoothly. It is clear that for the orchestra’s musicians too it is a great inspiration to play elsewhere than in the studio, which was audible in the first piece of the evening, Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, op. 9. Under the conductor’s subtle leadership, not only the introductory Allegro con fuoco but also the song of love in Andante and the 6/8 brisk, popular saltarello had a colourful tone. As performed by the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Carnival became a magical painting of colourful masks.
Violinist Petr Matěják showed that the tradition of Czech violin artistry connected to the names Laub, Ondříček, Slavík, Kubelík, Příhoda and Suk has a worthy successor.
It is also an interesting fact that the Czech violinists Viktor Nováček and Karel Halíř also took part in the first performance of the concerto. In his rendering of Sibelius’ exceptionally demanding Concerto in D minor, op. 47, the soloist demonstrated not just exceptional technique and precise rhythm but also a feeling for work with an orchestra. Ondrej Lenárd led the musicians with utter precision and discipline, never covering the soloist’s blunt French instrument. The cadences in the first movement were full of energy, with pure sixths and octets, and though the final movement lacked a little force and not everything went perfectly in terms of intonation one has to doff one’s hat to such a performance. I hope Petr Matěják receives a more colourful and penetrative instrument from some donor. A Guarneri for instance would be highly suitable for Sibelius in particular.
The closing Symphony in D minor by César Franck showed the orchestra in all its glory. The performance managed to underscore both the formal kinship to the Beethoven prototype, the colour of the almost classical procession in the free movement, and the instrumentation of the clear-sounding organ registers. Only the intensity of the sound of the trumpets deafened not just the cellists sitting beneath them but also the audience, being outsized for the Rudolfinum’s acoustics. It was, however, a wonderful evening for the audience and at the same time a challenge to Prague’s other orchestras. And also an acknowledgment of Czech Radio for its support for young Czech artists!
Reviewer’s rating: 90 %
