MPO Concert at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

Last weekend, I went to see a concert by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra at the Petronas Philharmonic Hall (Dewan Filharmonik Petronas) with Sharmini. The programme was, of course, mainly Russian:

• Mikhail Glinka: Overture to Ruslan and Ludmyla
• Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto for Left Hand
• Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition

After having been in quite a few concert halls: the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Barbican Centre and Avery Fischer Hall, I was able to notice the details of the DFP and compare it with the other halls. It certainly is smaller than the average concert hall, which allows for brilliant acoustics (similar in size to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is built mainly for chamber concerts). Due to this, I was able to appreciate every little detail of the pieces. However, I was sat in the 3rd row from the stage, so this might have been the reason for this.
The hall is certainly a lot grander than the other halls I mentioned, with beautiful wood features and a stunning chandelier-like thing which dominates the hall. The organ is also beautifully integrated into the wall of the hall, creating an impression of neatness and perfection.
The only grouse I have about the DFP is its seating. The stall seats are all below stage level, forcing the audience to look up towards the stage and limiting their view only to the front rows of the orchestra i.e. only the strings. It was impossible to see the woodwind section from the stalls. This limitation prevents the audience in the stalls from appreciating the magnificent orchestra as a whole. However, if you're willing to splurge, the box seats would be more than perfect in terms of acoustics and visibility.



I felt the dress code was rather unecessary. DFP is the only concert hall that I've been to that enforces a strict dress code. It creates a very elitist feel, especially to their evening concerts which require evening wear. I believe this sends out the wrong impression to the public because classical music should be made accessible to all, and not exclusively to a select few. I will understand if the DFP bans slippers, but I don't see why people can't enjoy music wearing jeans or even shorts. I have done that many a time in Europe and America and I find that it removes a lot of hassle from the concert experience.

Now about the audience. There was quite a mix of expatriates and Malaysians. They weren't as silent as the audiences I am accustomed to, and therefore, I found their whispering and murmuring very intrusive during the concert. They applaud immediately and do not wait for the impact of the piece to take effect after the pieces end. The pin drop silence after a deafening finale was not present as much as I'd liked it to be.

The MPO played wonderfully well. However, it wasn't particularly Malaysian because close to 90% of its members are expatriates! Ruslan and Ludmyla was executed to perfection, with every single semi quaver in perfect sync. The piano concerto was my favourite piece of the day, and I was extremely impressed by Alexandre Tharaud's (piano) agile, expressive and playful interpretation of it. It was simply a pleasure to experience. Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition was also very well played, but as I am too familiar with the piece, I did not enjoy it too much because I knew every note before it was played! As it was Sharmini's first time hearing this piece, it was rightfully her favourite piece of the day.



As a whole, the experience was excellent and I look forward to my next concert: Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.2 and Shostakovich Symphony No. 8. I also hope that classical instruments gain more popularity among common Malaysians so that the MPO will eventually be truly Malaysian!