Beethoven No.9

After listening to their performance last night, I have the feeling that the tickets were overpriced. It was at best a 3rd tier orchestra in Europe. The whole symphony sounded weary and boring. No energy. The french horns were out of tune. The woodwinds couldn't even follow the beat. There was hardly any discipline for the orchestra member (1 cellist dropped her bow; one violinist didn't have her violin tuned when the conductor was out there, just about to begin; the french horn player forgot to bring the accessories and went back to the back stage after the tuning session; members were talking loudly when the audience was already quiet and waiting for the conductor to come onto the stage, etc.) I didn't enjoy the concert. One positive thing is the choir, which performed quite well. But the orchestra was below average. HKPO under the baton of De Waart would definitely do better!