KVT – The Beethoven High Fives

Last week we had a tantalizing smorgasbord of classical music at the Opera House and the buffet reaches its zenith of delectability tonight (Monday) when Italian flutist, Andre Griminelli, will be served up. Griminelli has played to packed audiences all over the world and via You Tube you can catch him in Central Park, New York, and playing The Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orpheus and Eurydice at Pavarotti’s funeral mass in Modena.

Friday and Saturday gave us two very good Beethoven fives.

I am continually indebted to the Japanese and their sponsorship and interest in the Vietnam National Symphony. Thanks a lot to them, the VNSO has conductor Tetsuji Honna as music advisor and conductor and we get a wealth of top class Japanese talent soloing with the orchestra. If you missed Michie Koyama on the Steinway grand playing The Emperor Concerto (Piano Concerto No 5 in E flat major) you shouldn’t have (particularly as a first class seat was only VND 300,000 and a seat in the ‘gods’ went for less than a song).

She played divinely and, even if you were as deaf as Beethoven, just watching her creative intensity would have been enough. Superb! Superb! Superb! See the myriad You Tube videos of her world class performances to verify my statements. She’s performed with a plethora of the world’s A-list orchestras and for us to catch her in Hanoi was a super sized treat.

The VNSO accompanied Ms Koyama beautifully with very minor glitches from the back sections easy to go along with.

After interval Ong Honna conducted the VNSO and the first stirring chords of Beethoven’s Fifth surrounded us with its stormy anticipation.

The fifth is probably the world’s most played symphony and we got a rather lovely interpretation. The Andante movement was gorgeous. I thought that the pace in the 2nd and 3rd movements very, very occasionally wandered into a pedestrian zone but, what the heck! By the time we were into the triumphant last movement, with nary a pause, who could have cared less as we were exhilaratingly swept along to a conclusion that demanded a tsunami of applause.

Ong Honna proudly singled out all sections of the orchestra for well deserved claps.

Another memorable night with the VNSO and high fives all round!

Now roll along to Monday night’s feast with Griminelli’s flute.