Two distinct renditions

In an unprecedented move, two performances of Dimitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5” took place in the course of a week at the Seoul Arts Center, on Nov. 19 and 22. The first was by renowned conductor Mariss Jansons and the Munich-based Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the second, by Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow. Shostakovich was a prominent Russian composer and pianist whose symphonies and quartets epitomize 20th century music. / Korea Times file

Renowned German, Russian orchestras perform Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 at Seoul Arts Center

By Kwon Ji-youn

It is not often that one gets to hear Dimitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5” twice resonate through music halls in Seoul during the course of a week.

Renowned conductor Mariss Jansons and the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, also known in English as the Munich-based Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, performed the No. 5 to perfection at the Seoul Arts Center Nov. 19. The No. 5 was performed on day two of the two-day performance to a standing ovation, but neither orchestra members nor Jansons appeared fatigued after the meticulous and grand execution of Antonin Dvorak’s “From the New World” a day prior.

Russian conductor Vladimir Fedoseyev conducts the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow at the Seoul Arts Center on Nov. 22. / Courtesy of Arte

The strings’ canon and solos of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 were flawless in technique, and especially remarkable was the grandiosity of the timpani. Jansons’ rapid movements on the stage appeared to be propelling the reverberations in all directions to fill the auditorium with ambitious unity.

Perhaps the No. 5 sounded more grandiose than it usually does because the orchestra’s preceding renditions of Richard Strauss’ “Don Juan” and “Der Rosenkavalier” weren’t quite as memorable ― there was nothing comic about the Der Rosenkavalier, and Don Juan, written in 1888, wasn’t quite the “musical symbol of fin-de-siecle (end of the century) modernism” that musicologist Carl Dahlhaus described it to be. In fact, audiences appeared to be very much disheartened after such detailed but empty interpretations.

Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons conducts the Munich-based Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center on Nov. 19. / Courtesy of Vincero

On Nov. 22, Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow took to the Seoul Arts Center stage, and though only three pieces were programmed, the orchestra filled the two-and-a-half hours with striking and impressive concerts.

Fedoseyev and the orchestra opened with Mikhail Glinka’s “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” with the strings bringing out the lyrical Mozartian elements of the overture.

Fedoseyev’s conducting was modest but refined, translating into an act that kept audiences hushed all the while.

After Tchaikovsky’s lesser known Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams,” Fedoseyev and the orchestra served up a truly satisfying performance of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, with opening measures that subsequently sculpted a deeply absorbing act.

The scherzo was intimidating, the largo, dynamic and the finale, overwhelming. The entrance of the harp added a delicate grace to Fedoseyev’s harsh interpretation, and the solos staged elaborate and intense performances.

Fedoseyev’s rendition of the Symphony No.5 wasn’t as absolute as that of Jansons, but perhaps this made it all the more approachable. The audience was filled with a chorus of unremitting bravos as the conductor and orchestra left the stage.

Consequently, the musicians reentered the stage after the program had come to an official end to give an encore performance of Russian folk songs.

Jansons, son of conductor Arvids Jansons, was appointed associate conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra in 1973 before being appointed principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic in 1992. He began serving his tenure as chief conductor for the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2003.

Fedoseyev, a Russian conductor, was appointed artistic director and chief conductor of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio in 1974, and since 2006 has served as the orchestra’s music director. From 1977 through 2005, he served as principal conductor of the Vienna Symphony.

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