DON'S REVIEW - The CSO with Andreas Spörri and Yasser Ghoneim

The Cairo Symphony Orchestra shone under the welcome return of guest conductor Andreas Spörri in the concert of 5 December 2009.

The orchestra did a beautiful, stirring rendition of that perennial concert favorite, Mussorgsky's “A Night on Bare Mountain”. Many of us were first exposed to this piece in the chilling sequence in Walt Disney’s Fantasia, where the exultant bat-headed sorcerer, from on top of his mountain stronghold, conjured forth an orgiastic sequence of ghosts, bats, and demons. The film version is different, arranged by the conductor Leopold Stokowski, and has a more redemptive ending with a choir

Never afraid of difficult pieces (both technically and musically), Spörri next tackled Shostakovich’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in C sharp minor, with Cairo’s own Yasser Ghoneim as soloist. This piece demands the very highest level of musicianship from the soloist playing in a key not natural for the violin.

At least from a technical viewpoint, Yasser mastered the extremely difficult score, but it took its toll – he was sweating profusely in the cold auditorium after the first movement. I doubt there are many real fans of this harsh, mournful piece and in fact it has largely fallen out of the repertoire. Although Ghoneim did not make a believer out of me or my friends, it must be said that the audience was highly appreciative of the performance and he was warmly applauded.

The concert closed with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in e-minor, and in contrast with the previous concerto, is a much-beloved and often performed work. Here, Spörri guided the orchestra to play as one. A special notice for the horn soloist, who did a beautiful solo in the second movement.

We’ll hear more from Spörri this season.

Mark your calendars for February 27 or 28, when he will lead Cairo in a Berlioz, Khachaturian, and Shostakovich triple bill.

Don’t miss May 8, when Spörri pays tribute to the master, Richard Wagner, in selections from Rienzi, Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Parsifal, Die Walküre and Tannhäuser. Even if you hate opera, and even if you hate German opera, the orchestral highlights of Wagner’s operas are some of the most moving music ever written.

Finally, Spörri will conduct the 15 May concert performing one of his own pieces, along with selections from von Weber, Walton, and Mozart.

Ghoneim may not have another opportunity to solo this year, but he will very ably support the orchestra as second violin leader.