The high point of the August 1 concert by the newly formed Asian Modern Symphony Orchestra turned out to be neither particularly symphonic nor modern.
Deep into the second half of the Hong Kong concert, principal violin Gyoon Kim intoned the slowly paced, melancholy motif that opens the second movement (Andante non troppo) of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no 2 in G major.
The tentative phrasing – which might have been deliberate – gave the solo section a diaphanous quality. Principal cello Joonho Shim then responded with rhythmically less imaginative, yet unerringly paced, versions of the same melody.
Right at the heart of one of the most virtuosic pieces in the piano repertoire, Tchaikovsky folded in a chamber trio of only average technical difficulty but extraordinary emotional impact. And it felt as if the three musicians were discovering Tchaikovsky’s conceit before our very eyes.
