Zhang's build is that of a shot-put competitor, while her style is one of maxiumum efficiency and no-nonsense lines. In Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition - not often heard in a first half - her approach was briskly matter-of-fact, using broad brushstrokes rather than more subtle detailing. The muted strings of Il Vecchio Castello had a silken sheen, but Zhang was at her most authoritative when controlling the sweeping power of the full orchestra in the final Great Gate of Kiev.
Ravel's own Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No 2 complemented the Mussorgsky, with Zhang now in more expansive mode and pointing up felicities of scoring. Yet what seemed to be lacking was an insightful shaping of phrases and a more profound sympathy for the harmonic and emotional significance that makes Ravel's soundworld so evocative. Nevertheless, the CBSO responded willingly enough to Zhang's bidding, with the brilliant playing of principal flautist Marie-Christine Zupancic and her section standing out.
These two works framed a performance of Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole in which the violin soloist was the Canadian Karen Gomyo. She succeeded in balancing the flamboyance of the score with its moments of quiet lyricism. Like Zhang, she is certainly an artist to watch.
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