Ongaku no Tomo, March 2010

Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra
365th subscription concert
January 22, 2010
Aichiken Geijutsu Gekijo Theater

by Yasushi Watanabe

Douglas Boyd, a conductor from Glasgow, U.K., was an oboist with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe before he made conducting debut in 2000. With his clear tempo and meticulous treatment of voices, he achieved highly defined performances with an approach similar to Fischer's. Toru Takemitsu's "Winter" was commissioned for Sapporo Winter Olympic Games in 1971. It describes ever-changing winter in Japan with colorful sounds. Could each musical item in the work be focused with higher concentration? Boyd at least presented that possibility. He proved that, by achieving that task, this work would leave more intense impressions on the audience.

The soloist for R. Strauss "Four Last Songs" was Eiko Hiramatsu. She sang at total unity with the orchestra, attaining such high perfection that the audience felt at ease. The conductor, however, could have put more emphasis on the singing. More clearly contrasted expression was desired.

In the second half, Boyd brought out a wonderful performance out of Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 "Winter Daydreams". Although hurtling tempo in Allegro sometimes obscured the work's musical structure, this aggressive attempt was reminiscent of youthful ardor of Tchaikovsky in his early career, and it worked as an important element of musical expression. I enjoyed it very much.

Ongaku Gendai March 2010

January 22, 2010
Aichi-ken Geijutu Gekijo Concert Hall

by Mikako Mizuno

Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra invited Douglas Boyd to conduct its January subscription concerts. Boyd, born in Glasgow, UK, is Music Director of Manchester Camerata. The evening's program consists of Takemitsu Winter, R. Strauss Four Last Songs and Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1. Winter's complex sound created by various instruments, each of which is given specific technical instructions, was performed in exquisite balance under Boyd's skillful baton, bringing out a beautiful nuance like drifting fog in the deep mountains. However, individual instruments lacked their own tonal assertion, resulting in insufficient instantaneous impact. The soloist for Four Last Songs was Eiko Hiramatsu. She treated the text very carefully and gave a wonderful performance. The orchestra's thick sound was well controlled and balanced, creating a sense of fulfillment. During the recent years, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra has acquired a great stability in its wind sections, and it has become an ideal ensemble to perform this evening's program. In the second half of the concert, Tchaikovsky was also a very stable performance supported by the rich, deep bass sound.