It is curious to observe how certain experiences from years ago return, seemingly unchanged and yet still different. When Joshua Bell was the soloist in Brahms's Violin Concerto as a guest of the Festival Orchestra in February 1997, I was astounded by his perfectly conceived playing, immaculate technique, stamina and discipline. But I also sensed absent from the production any original thinking and individual concept. On that occasion, Zoltán Kocsis was the conductor, who two year's later in 1999, also gave a chamber concert with Joshua Bell at the Music Academy. On Monday, at the National Philharmonic Orchestra's concert, Kocsis again was on the conductor's podium, and we were gifted another opportunity to hear this star American violinist, on this occasion in Mendelssohn's concerto in E minor. The critic can say to himself, with a modicum of self irony: now you have got what you were craving – a performance that departed from the routine. I'm not thinking of Bell's decision to replace Mendelssohn's essentially integrated cadenza with one of his own devising – he did the same last time with Brahms and I found it just as unconvincing an experiment. I felt this new cadenza was too weighty and exaggeratedly forceful, considering the gentleness of the work: too over virtuosic. Let me repeat again, the true surprise was not caused by the cadenza, but the style in which the concerto was performed. Joshua Bell shaped the very opening cantilena of the first movement Allegro with unusual drama and agitation, while conspicuously softening the movement's lyrical sections, calling forth sweetness of sound and vibrato pretty much in the interest of his aimed effect. In other words, he sharpened the character contrasts of the work, interpreting what is generally thought of as a lyrical balanced composition as a thing of drama. The lack of spontaneity also contributed to this: it had the character of something already pre-calculated and this made a powerful impact on the continuing dialogue between violin and orchestra – in my view, this explained why the fairy like music of the finale seemed merely elegant and not unselfconsciously liberated As for his violin playing, I can only offer the very greatest praise: Joshua Bell performed with rich and varied range of colour, perfect intonation, refinement and virtuosity.

Zoltán Kocsis continued this perhaps overly colourful concert with the National Philharmonic, performing three further works. An atmospheric performance of Ravel's Valses Nobles et Sentimentales allowed the conductor to communicate the Janus face of Ravel's interpretation of the waltz: the continuous game of hide and seek between dynamic forward thrusting and dilly-dallying characters which are sometimes heard in parallel. At the same time, he drew attention to the orchestra's soft tone and pastel colours. The National Choir joined the orchestra for an improvisatory performance of the Three Russian Songs by Rachmaninov op. 41. This cycle is a rarity in the concert hall, and the performance was important as it helped compensate for Hungarian audiences relative incomplete knowledge of Rachmaninov the composer. This time, we encountered Rachmaninov as inspired by folklore. The programme concluded with Kocsis conducting a grand scale performance of Dvořák's Eight Symphony: the National Philharmonic played with a superb disposition and perceptible joy, and in their tempos, characters and dynamics this highly appealing interpretation seemed only a little raw or overblown in some grand tutti-passages. (Music Academy, April 7, 2003)

Kristóf Csengery
(Hungarian Radio, Új Zenei Újság, New Music Magazine)