Ylioppilaskunnan Soittajat on the right track
Seldom has a Finnish amateur orchestra operated on as high a level as Ylioppilaskunnan Soittajat at their traditional Fall concert. The choice of repertoire already suggested an extraordinary ambition.
YS could actually be considered semi-professional, as several advanced music students form the backbones of various sections. On the other hand, the orchestra manages without hired professional "ringers" and it is still the many happy amateurs who pull the heaviest load.
And they do so admirably. Already in the opening piece, Verdi's Overture to La Forza del Destino, the orchestra showed a remarkable sense of ensemble in combination with a considerable rhythmic precision and formidable dynamic power.
Alban Berg's Violin Concerto called on the orchestra to outdo itself in tonal and coloristic sensibilities. The performance succeeded overall, although in some details and the shaping of the larger line some things were left to be desired.
When it comes to Antti Tikkanen's playing, however, there is nothing lacking. He plays everything with a natural self-evidence, and although the insights into this multi-faceted solo part will grow over the years, there is already plenty here to admire.
Tikkanen paints the melodies with the finesse and technical brilliance that have become his trademark. The dramatic peaks could have been more emotionally staggering and in the ending one might have wished for more poetic expression but, as a whole, the collaboration between Tikkanen and YS's new Chief Conductor David Searle was thoroughly satisfying.
In the American Sibelius Academy-trained Searle, YS seem to have found a veritable gold mine. He is an excellent conductor; interpretively decisive, expressively generous and, judging from all appearances, has an abundant ability to communicate with musicians.
In the closing work, Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, Searle and his ensemble got a prime opportunity to show themselves walking a tightrope without a net, and they tackled the challenge with an infectious enthusiasm. Occasional blemishes here and there did not detract from this charged experience, which showed clearly that
Ylioppilaskunnan Soittajat are on the right track.
Mats Liljeroos (English translation: Nina Kronlund)