Oct 4, 2022 8pm Philharmonie, Luxembourg
Teodor Currentzis / Utopia Orchestra
Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1945 version)
Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe Suite No.2, La Valse
Encore – Ravel: Bolero
(scroll down for English review)
第一次來到徐亞英擔任聲學設計的盧森堡愛樂廳，也是他最知名的作品。先別計音響的質素，這場地是歐洲一個重要的節目買家，全年節目有很多大團或獨奏家到來。以交響樂場地來說，這個1500座位的場地其實偏小（亦令難度減低），設計上我認為特點除了是長方型，還有是堂座向上傾斜，去到尾（大約30行）就相等於樓座，其實就是將兩者合一。而徐亞英自己特別驕傲的部分，是左右牆壁像包廂的部分，不過我還是試較正常的位置好了，這場那些位置都沒有人坐，似乎不是絕頂好位。
Currentzis的親俄，或至少是不和俄國翻面的立場，令他在歐洲的活動頗受擠壓，除了最近不被斯圖加特南德電台樂團續約，他和恒樂團的歐洲巡迴多數被取消，包括這段時期的。現在此隊烏托邦樂團是Currentzis從多國音樂家所組成，這不單是成團的第一套節目，更是第一場演出，團員中也有些出名的名字，例如Christoph Koncz擔任第二小提琴首席，而這場也見到小提琴分置左右，但中提琴放在左邊這個近來流行的擺位。
想是第一套節目的關係，三首曲目加起來只是一小時。而樂隊除了必須要坐的大提琴及低音大提琴，其餘都是站立演奏，明顯是把指揮和恒樂團的演奏方式移植。上半場的史特拉汶斯基《火鳥組曲》，我覺得只是一味熱血，徒具恒樂團熾熱演出的外表而已。不過，和一般樂團相比，這已是少見的投入了。
下半場的拉威爾順耳得多，主要是弦樂稍為冷靜一點，把聲音拉好一點有關。我坐的位置數不清楚弦樂數目，但很可能有70人，大提琴尤其多人。《達夫尼與克羅伊》的高潮緊張而不失控，《圓舞曲》和我一個月前聽拉圖及倫敦交響樂團相比，這裏雖沒有拉圖那種殺戳戰場視野，但樂隊的發音質素明顯比倫敦好，把樂曲頭半奏得嫵媚。
有心理預備會安歌，但想不到居然是《波萊羅》，加了這首就是正常長度的節目。想起來，我可能沒聽過頂尖樂團及指揮奏這曲，會不會是不登大雅之堂之故？亦不是正常的安歌。但Currentzis選奏這首，正好展現到此團匆匆成團，仍有絕頂的水準，獨奏精細，小提琴用弓演奏後，全體的管弦聲響飽滿而不嘈吵，最後的高潮，證明了此曲的結尾毋須失控，或者拉威爾也想像不到可以奏成這樣？
樂團緊接會在漢堡、維也納及柏林巡迴，下次再埋班要等到明年六月，奏馬勒三。不過眼前最大問題，應是歐洲的音樂會搞手願不願意承辦往後的演出。
Teodor Currentzis has somewhat become a semi-pariah figure in the concert halls of Europe. But he hangs on and comes up with this new orchestra project. Utopia is a multi-national orchestra with some big names on its roster, such as violinist Christoph Koncz or bassist Rick Stotijn. Following a rehearsal period in this very hall Utopia presented its launching concert.
Emulating Currentzis’ MusicAeterna he had his players perform standing up, except for the lower strings. So it’s interesting to see if Currentzis is able to reproduce the fire of his own ensemble with this ad-hoc orchestra. The first half was made up of Stravinsky’s longer 1945 version of the Firebird Suite. There was fire in the playing but that mostly transformed into coarseness.
The all-Ravel second half was much better, probably because the strings relaxed a little bit and paid more attention to the tone production. The climaxes of Daphnis Suite 2 were carefully calibrated and the tender melodies of La Valse were played with so much charm.
I expected an encore or two, but not Ravel’s Bolero. With this piece the concert wrapped up at 10pm, the normal length of a symphony concert. Perhaps Bolero was a better showcase than what came before as Currentzis showed off not just his soloists but how great they sounded as a whole. I guess Ravel never imagined the chaos he envisioned at the closing pages would be so glorious when a conductor is dedicated to throw noise out of the recipe.