MSO II: The Artistry of Thanos Adamopoulos

Featuring:
Thanos Adamopoulos, violin/conductor

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Programme:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Overture from The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492

Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64

Wow, I didn’t have to wait that long to see the Manila Symphony Orchestra perform once again since I only had to let nine days pass since the last time I saw them perform which was during the concert of pianist Lorenzo Medel. While it only took a short while for some people to see the MSO once again, it took about a year instead for them to see guest conductor/violin soloist Prof. Thanos Adamopoulos perform since he had to cancel last year due to medical reasons. Thankfully this year, his good health meant that he was able to come to Manila. And despite the heavy rains, people responded by coming in droves at the Philam Life Auditorium to see the MSO’s second concert for their 2011 Season entitled The Artistry of Thanos Adamopoulos.

They had a very accessible programme consisting of popular and perennial favorites. The starting piece was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K.492 which was played delightfully despite the horns’ hiccups. And right from the start, all eyes were on Adamopoulos and he truly had a very interesting conducting style: no baton and an occasional wiggling of his fingers.

The next piece was a rare treat since Adamopolous was not just the conductor but also the soloist for Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 with the cadenza by Fritz Kreisler. This meant that concertmaster Gina Medina had more responsibilities during this piece which she handled brilliantly. But I felt that Adamopoulos played too politely and I waited for him to add some vulgarity in some passages. But instead of being put off by this inoffensive way of playing, his demeanor, mastery and presence made me accept that the piece could indeed be played politely whatever that may mean to others. After this piece, people applauded persistently so that he would do an encore with the violin before the intermission started which he did when he played the Fritz Kreisler transcription of Melodie of the Dance of the Blessed Spirits from Orfeo ed Euridice by Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck.

Prof. Thanos Adamopoulos and the Manila Symphony Orchestra

I almost had the same feeling during the last piece which was Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64 which made up the second half of the concert. Adamopoulos conducted it in a way that the resulting performance was so different from what I am used to and actually prefer. For example, the second movement felt a bit too fast for me. But it felt odd that I didn’t have the urge to just walk out and scoff at the performance simply because they didn’t play it the way that I wanted to. Instead, I was able to see and hear the piece from a different perspective, realizing that it could be played that way.

Prof. Thanos Adamopoulos with RAd and the Pinoy Violinists

I would’ve loved to have the opportunity to ask him about his decisions on why he played and conducted the way he did but he was mobbed by the audience right after the concert. Even having a photo with him along with my friends from the Pinoy Violinist group proved to be a test of patience. Overall, this was truly a very interesting concert for me. The pieces as I’ve said before are very familiar to me and to hear them performed so differently and making me accept these interpretations not just as valid and but still oddly appealing and moving is truly a testament to the artistry of Thanos Adamopoulos.

Text by RAd

Photos by Yuuko-san