The stage was set as the lights shone down on the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS (DFP), Kuala Lumpur. There wasn’t a sound from the audience once their attention had been caught by the musicians of the orchestra. The concertmaster stood up from his seat and signalled for the tuning note to be played just before the side door opened and the conductor, Eiji Oue, stepped out.

He walked up to the first violin and shook hands with the concertmaster before taking his place, centre stage. There was pin drop silence as the ensemble sat with their violins to the crook of their neck, bows at the cello strings and lips at the trombone’s mouth piece.

One flick of his wrist and the orchestra descended into Ludwig van Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 Op.72b (1806). The melancholy sounds echoed through the great hall in a seamless wonder. The piece went from crescendo to diminuendo and transitioned from minor chords to major throughout the 14 minutes. Oue definitely did justice to Beethoven’s work as he let each section of instruments sing beautifully as separate entities and together as one.

As the timpani rolled out until the end, the orchestra was met with a round of applause from the audience. Oue and the first violin walked off stage in preparation for the next piece. Stage hands scurried onto stage as they made way for the two soloists of Johannes Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor, Op. 102 (1887). The cellist and violinist, István Várdai and Soyoung Yoon, respectively, walked onto stage with their instruments shortly after and Oue was not far behind.

The 32-year-old Hungarian, Várdai, took his place next to South Korean violinist, Yoon beside the conductor’s podium. The orchestra opened the concerto with an omnipresent sound which was then taken over by Várdai and his cello that cried out in A minor. Slowly, the orchestra gave life into the depressing chords from the cello, only to be brought back to that dark place by both the violin and the cello. Throughout the piece, the strengths of both soloists were exhibited in a powerful and emotional manner while the orchestra breathed life back into the sorrow of Brahms’ concerto.

The beautiful harmonies that the two soloists produce through their instruments was mesmerising and a delight to the ears. There was a constant battle between the orchestra and the two soloists of happiness and melancholy in the music. Yoon moved with the music even when she was not playing and it was absolutely breath-taking to watch when she did play as her fingers moved with such precision and grace. Both soloists delivered solid performances that made this half-hour long concerto worth every minute.

After the intermission, the orchestra swept the audience into the grandeur of Beethoven’s renowned Symphony No. 5 in C minor (1807). The orchestra blew the audience away with allegro con brio which is the most well-known movement of Beethoven’s fifth symphony. Then they moved on to the second movement: andante con moto which relied more on melody and depth. It played off of two themes which involved the violas and cellos as one and the clarinets and bassoons as the second theme.

The third movement: allegro followed after in a symphonic burst which gave more room for the cellists and double bass to sing in staccato and legato. Last, but not least, came the fourth movement: allegro which brought all the instruments together into one harmonious celebration. The famous composition which spanned 36 minutes lifted the room and transported the audience to a different realm back in time.

Overall, the concert was an absolute delight for classical music lovers and enthusiasts. The two soloists were magnificent and captivating during Brahms’ Concerto and Eiji Oue was a charismatic and insightful conductor who knew when to restrain the music and create suspense. The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra definitely embodies prestige in their ability to keep the music alive through technique and raw emotion for the past 20 years.

Note: Due to the fact that audience members were not allowed to take any form of photographs or videos during the concert, pictures included in this blog are from external sources as credited in the caption.

Written by: Shaleen Surendra