Jenö Lisztes and Eric Renick (L) Photo: supplied
This concert by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra features the Hungarian instrument, the cimbalom. It's a hammered dulcimer-style instrument, which is featured for example in the soundtrack to the Guy Ritchie film adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.
The cimbalom player is the acclaimed Hungarian musician Jenő Lisztes. He plays Kodály’s Háry János Suite, which was developed out of a Hungarian folk opera the composer penned over 1925/26. The source of inspiration for this work was a real life figure - a military veteran-turned-potter who would regale his pals in the pub with fantastical tales of his war career. This raconteur was then immortalised in a comic epic poem which, in turn, was used to create the libretto for the singspiel.
Next, Jenő Lisztes performed a solo improvisation on the cimbalom.
The audience demanded an encore:
The second half of the concert features another world-class performer, violinist Clara-Jumi Kang. The piece is Scheherazade 2 by John Adams. To tell you about the work it's best to quote the composer.
Of the work he said:
‘I’m writing what might turn out to be the longest violin concerto in history. It was inspired by images of women, largely being oppressed or abused or violated, that I saw in the news — I’m sure we all saw…it’s just a kind of whimsical idea of a Scheherazade who is empowered, differently empowered than the original. The original had to sort of use her storytelling wiles to escape this horrible story. But this Scheherazade actually — she gives it back. For example, there’s an imagined movement where she’s tried by some religious court. So the title of that movement is Scheherazade and the Men with Beards. I don’t have a really clear narrative. But there are just sort of images here and there, like a night flight or imprisonment or a love scene. And at the very end, the word is just “Sanctuary.”
If you listen closely, you'll spot the cimbalom as part of the orchestra. Jenő Lisztes sits in the middle of the orchestra, next to the harp.
Clara-Jumi Kang Photo: supplied
The concert was recorded in Auckland Town Hall by Radio New Zealand Concert.
Produced Adrian Hollay, Engineered by Rangi Powick and Adrian Hollay.
If you would like more information about the cimbalom, you might be interested in this interview on RNZ National with the APO's principle percussionist about the instrument.
