Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Festival Theatre. 12 Apr 2013
Cirque de la Symphonie is the latest in what might be termed ‘fusion programs’ from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. It was Concert 2 in the ‘Spectacular ASO’ series – the first was The Blue Planet in Concert – and according to the ASO’s own publicity, the series comprises “seven diverse spectacular events for every member of the family to enjoy.” So far, this publicity is entirely accurate!
Cirque de la Symphonie combined the musical might of the ASO and a troupe of highly skilled international circus performers - although the circus took centre stage and was the focus of the diverse and very large audience. It was a thrilling event and presented fifteen mostly popular and well-known pieces from the classical orchestral repertoire ‘fused’ with a range of circus acts that were exhilarating in their strength, precision and artistry.
In some ways this event was similar to the ‘other’ Cirque that Adelaide has come to love, but this one was more refined in a number of ways. It did not rely on a massed company of circus performers all working at a blistering pace – there were only eight of them and they mostly worked in pairs. Their routines relied on choreographed movement, gesture and acrobatic expression that were in time with, and part of, the music.
After a rousing performance by the ASO of the ever-popular overture from Glinka’s Russlan and Ludmilla, aerialist Christine Van Loo executed a beautifully expressive routine on the aerial silks high above the orchestra as they played an arrangement of Debussy’s ethereal Clair de Lune. In his words of welcome, conductor Guy Noble invited the audience to applaud at will, and they did and gave full vent to their appreciation after each and every one of Van Loo’s athletic and gravity defying manoeuvres.
Initially I found the applause and the countless ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ to be an annoyance but I very quickly gave over to my instinct to applaud at will as well. My mind filled in the music that I didn’t quite hear, and full marks to Noble and the ASO for coping admirably in such atypical concert hall circumstances.
Aloysia Gavre and Sagiv Ben Binyamin danced an athletic tango to sections from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. It would have scored highly in a dance competition and was replete with sexual tension as their two highly toned bodies twisted and contorted around each other in a truly aesthetic display of grace, strength and control.
Vladimir Tsarkov and Alexander Streltsov performed solo juggling acts to extracts from Bizet’s Carmen suite No 2. Tarkov injected much humour and flippancy into his ring juggling, and Streltsov looked very much the toreador trying to tame the enormous spinning frame and cube that was his bull.
Elena Tsarkova performed a contorted dance on two stools to the mellifluous waltz from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty, and Act 1 was rounded out with another aerial display from Aloysia Gavre, this time on a flying hoop to the Bacchanale for Saint-Saën’s Samson and Dalila.
Act 2 commenced with a dazzling display of quick change artistry by Elena Tsarkov who was assisted by her husband Vladimir, and was followed by the return of Sagiv Ben Binyamin who gave a strong display on the aerial rope to Wagner’s stirring Ride of the Valkyries. This segued into more juggling and an energetic ribbon dance to the iconic Can Can from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, followed by more aerial work to Swan Lake. The final performance of the program was an awe inspiring display of strength and balance from strong-men Jaroslaw Marciniak and Dariusz Wronski to the stirring music of Sibelius’s Finlandia.
As ever, the ASO was superb, and Guy Noble managed the challenges of playing to tempi that were as much demanded by the music as they were required by the choreographed circus routines. After all, the circus performers did need to finish in time with the music (or is that vice versa?). I thought the music did occasionally suffer because of this but the wow factor of the circus soon made me forget that!
This was a great night out and the audience more than enjoyed it - they loved it, and were left wanting more. The next in the ‘Spectacular ASO’ series is Triple M Symphonic Rock in early May. Can’t wait!
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed
