Sydney Symphony Orchestra | Daniel Lozakovich performs Sibelius’ Violin Concerto

7 May 2025, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, NSW

PROGRAM:

JANÁČEK Symphonic Suite from Jenůfa
SIBELIUS Violin Concerto
DVOŘÁK Symphony No.6

ARTISTS:

TOMÁŠ NETOPIL conductor
DANIEL LOZAKOVICH violin

Sydney Symphony Orchestra

What a delight to hear Daniel Lozakovich and that he is only 24 years old seems impossible for a musician of his understanding.  He was signed by Deutsche Grammophon at just 15; the youngest artist on their roster and has performed with major orchestras since he was 9. This is his Australian debut and he played for us on the rich and even toned “ex-Sancy” 1713 Stradivari violin.

Sibelius‘ only concerto, his Violin Concerto was initially performed in 1904 and not well received. He revised it in 1905, simplifying some passages and enhancing the musical clarity. The audiences were still reluctant, but today, with good reason, it is considered one of his greatest works. It is a virtuosic work, but unlike many other Romantic concertos which exist to show off the skills of soloist and composer (think Tchaikovsky and Paganini), this concerto deeply integrates the solo violin with the orchestration. The orchestra is often heavy and dark as the violin strives to break free towards light and hope. Also there is no sense that Sibelius is stringing together performance opportunities; the overall work is a solid coordinated structure. It speaks more of musical truth than showmanship and Lozakovich handles this with great maturity. Form-wise the work is interesting too. There is no orchestral exposition in the first movement; the violin enters immediately over a dreamlike and brooding orchestra. Also the cadenza is in the middle of the first movement, not at the end. The list goes on. In the last movement Lozakovich’s playing was relentlessly energetic and fiery, carrying the bold rhythmic motives to an intense dramatic climax.

The Symphonic Suite based on Leoš Janáček‘s opera Jenůfa was not actually written by Janáček, but assembled posthumously by the conductor Tomáš Hanus and musicologist Peter Breiner. While it could serve as a musical introduction to the opera, unfortunately as a musical composition it feels rather like a medley; a bunch of musical extracts stitched together. The title “symphonic” is more about the group of instruments playing it than its quality of composition. The guest Czech conductor Tomáš Netopil obviously knows Jenůfa well and made the most of it by bring the nuances of the opera’s fraught protagonist to life. The orchestra also was fervently committed, but having heard this piece once, that is enough.

All musical elements however united gloriously in Dvořák’s Symphony No. 6; tightly composed, symphonic in every sense of the word, conducted by an expert in Czech music, and played by the wonderful SSO in the clear acoustics of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. The optimistic master work, composed in 1880, is said to be in the symphonic tradition of Brahms, but it has a distinct Czech character.  Its relation to Brahms is more a dialogue between compositional forms than an imitation. This is especially so with the “furiant” Czech folk dance in the third movement with its alternating 2/3 and 3/4 time signatures. Traditional symphonies might include a Minuet and Trio as a dance movement but that is decidedly tame compared to this hyper masculine and muscular dance with its disconcerting syncopation; it has a rustic and energetic drive quite unlike what might be found in the German romantic symphonies. But, on consideration, not unlike Brahms’ Hungarian Rhapsodies. Congratulations to Netopil and the orchestra for bringing this wonderful symphonic work to such a vibrant realisation.

PS. In the concert overall there were more praiseworthy performances than what can be mentioned here, but in this instance I would like to single out the principal flautist Emma Sholl for her emotionally wise solos and also the horn section for their consistently accurate pitch and rhythm, and their perfect textural blend with the rest of the orchestra.

The concert was enjoyable and impressive; commendations to all concerned.