Auckland Philharmonia at the Auckland Town Hall

By WILLIAM DART

When Shlomo Mintz made his debut with the Auckland Philharmonia last year, it was an all-Beethoven affair and the capacity audience had to be accommodated behind the orchestra.

The choir stalls were called on once again for the Israeli violinist's second visit although, this time round, Beethoven's monopoly on the programme had been challenged by Mozart.

It was Beethoven who set the tone for the evening and Mintz was resolute in drawing as much power as he could from the Egmont Overture. The famous string chords astounded with their resonance and Mintz's insistence on incisive rhythms and clear woodwind lines brought out all the drama of the piece. The final Coda, one of the composer's unabashed primal moments, was galvanising.

The Mozart Violin Concertos are easy to underestimate. These relatively early scores may not necessarily tangle the fingers, but they do require a rare interpretative skill.

Not so long ago, a creamy, rich tone was considered the prime prerequisite for playing them but, since Viktoria Mullova and others have opened our ears to their airy, sometimes skittish beauties, simple lyricism is not enough.

Mintz is of the old school and gave a reading that stayed within bounds. Those who didn't mind tempi a smidgen on the relaxed side and lines that glowed rather than breathed, were amply rewarded. Those, like me, who yearn for feathery subtleties, could well have been disappointed.

Soloists have been generous with encores of late. Last week Nikolai Demidenko dashed off a Scarlatti Sonata after his main course Brahms, and Mintz offered us the Prelude from Bach's E major Partita, delivered with the sort of composure which, once again, has now been challenged by more investigative interpretations.

After interval, Beethoven's Eighth Symphony seemed to leave its dancing shoes in the cupboard.

Again, conservative tempi were the main problem, particularly in the Finale, which is the nearest Beethoven ever came to a runaway reel. Despite this, the orchestra was in good form and there was much to enjoy in the neat manoeuvrings of the first movement, with its bright woodwind lacings, as well as a Minuet which had just the right earthy spring to its step.