Concert: Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1

Went to HK Sinfonietta's concert yesterday. I bought the ticket mainly for the cello concerto, because it is one of favourite cello concertos. The soloist was Pieter Wispelwey. He is a Dutch cellist at the age of 44. I never heard of him, but he has recorded quite a number of CDs for Channel Classics. He played the piece quite vibrantly, and HK Sinfonietta, under the baton of Daniel Raiskin, was full of sparks. The horn, which has an important part in the cello concerto, was less than satisfactory. I think it has to be improved. Wispelwey was techincally quite capable, but I would like him to be more reflective, especially in the slow movement. His encore was, I believe, from Bach's Cello Suite, and it was magnificently played. I bought his Bach CD afterwards. I listened to it this morning, and it was different compared with other recordings that I have (Ma, Rostropovich, Maisky (both old and new recordings), Starker). It is wonderful to find something new in such a familiar work.

I only stayed for the first half of the concert, as Dvorak Sym No 7 was not my cup of tea. The concert hall was 80% full last night. Not bad for HK Sinfonietta.