Master Series 9. Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 6 Nov 2015
Entitled Eroica, the ingenious programme was infused with Beethoven. It began with Brett Dean’s Testament, which was inspired by a remarkable and heart rending letter written by Beethoven – the so called Heiligenstadt Testament. (Dean was also the guest conductor for the concert.) This was followed by the version of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.20 that included two cadenzas written by Beethoven, and the programme concluded with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, the mighty Eroica.
Brett Dean chose to reconfigure the usual seating arrangements of the orchestra, and positioned the cellos to the center front of the orchestra, approximately swapping them with the violas. The effect was to provide a mellower sound across the breadth of the stage, which was more apparent to the audience at stage left.
Behind his tight smile wunderkind pianist Benjamin Grosvenor was surely enjoying the abundant applause that was showered on him by a large and enthusiastic audience at the conclusion of the Mozart Piano. Grosvenor at times almost appeared impartial during the concerto, especially during the very popular slower second romance movement, but the simple matter is that he appears to give a wide berth to flamboyant and excessively demonstrative gesture. What is crystal clear is his deep understanding of the music and his technical prowess, and together the result is almost disquieting for someone who is only in his early twenties. Young musical prodigies are not entirely rare, but Grosvenor has something special. His execution of the two Beethoven cadenzas were especially insightful and appealing: seemingly effortless strength tempered by precision, control and musicality.
Brett Dean’s Testament was dramatic, but was more interesting than enjoyable. String players using two bows each – one with rosin and the other without. The former produced thin scratchy tones from the instruments, which Dean explained was a musical interpretation of the anguished sound Beethoven’s quill might have made on the parchment as he wrote his letter.
The performance of the Eroica was intriguing. Brett Dean chose to have the orchestra play standing with the exception of the basses, and he also played and conducted from the viola. I am told there are both advantages and disadvantages with playing from the standing position, but the result was ‘outstanding’! It was pacy, but not too fast, and it was passionate to the extent that many of the audience erupted into spontaneous applause at the end of the third movement.
This concert was just superb. It had everything: both new music and the classics; a conductor who also played and conducted from his own instrument; innovation in staging; and a performance from an emerging giant amongst soloists.
Bravo ASO.
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
Master Series 8. Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 23 Oct 2015
Bach being Bach, Mendelssohn emulating Bach, and Mendelssohn as himself. An absorbing programming concept for a concert!
Although born some fifty-nine years after Bach’s death, Mendelssohn was greatly influenced by Bach and his sacred oratorio Elijah is surely, as guest conductor Nicholas McGegan put it, “dipped in Bach”. Baritone Andrew Foster-Williams gave a compelling and totally absorbing performance of four arias from Elijah and amply demonstrated why he is one of the finest singers of our time. He also sang arias from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and the St Matthew Passion. Foster-Williams’ studied concentration and expressive face was matched by that of Associate Principal cello Ewan Bramble, whose animated face vividly underlined the story of Christ’s passion. Foster-Williams and Bramble seemed to be “on the same wavelength”, and it was a thrilling dialogue to witness.
Concertmaster Elizabeth Layton’s solo violin during the Passion (and also during the Air from Bach’s Suite No. 3 in D) was exquisite and served to remind us how fortunate the orchestra is to have an artist of her calibre during the regular concertmaster’s leave of absence.
The concert concluded with what is possibly Mendelssohn’s finest orchestral work – Symphony No.5 in D minor, the Reformation. Its ethereal opening andante is dominated by the woodwinds, celli and bass – the violins are conspicuous by their absence. McGegan controlled it beautifully, and the articulation was razor sharp. In his opening address to the audience, McGegan announced that the ASO would be including a seldom heard short linking section between the third and fourth main movements, and principal flute Geoffrey Collins was again at his best.
At the conclusion of the evening, the applause was generous and deserved.
Kym Clayton
When: 23 Oct
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
Geoffrey Collins & Alice Giles. Recitals Australia. Elder Hall. 14 Sep 2015
The flute and harp – at least variants of them – are instruments that have their origins in classical antiquity and even before then. As a combination they are well represented in the repertoire with numerous compositions – often with a distinctly French ‘feel’ – written by notables such as Bizet, Debussy, Massenet, Mozart, Rampal and Ravel, and the tradition continues with contemporary composers such as Piazzola. There are of course others, and eminent musicians Geoffrey Collins (flute) and Alice Giles (harp) performed a magical programme of varied works – some better known than others – from across the repertoire in their aptly entitled concert Shadows & Light.
Collins and Giles are consummate performers with more technical skill and honed musicality than you can wave a baton at. Elder Hall proved to be a fitting venue and provided acoustic clarity that laid bare the delicate and deeply satisfying blend and purity of plucked strings and a resonating air column.
Early in the programme, the distinctly middle Eastern flavor of Henk Badings relatively recent composition (1952) Cavatina for Alto Flute and Harp contrasted sharply with JS Bach’s Sonatina in G min BWV 1030 (circa 1735) – the old and the new – and the remainder of the concert showed off both instruments to their fullest across the spectrum of styles.
Thea Musgrave’s Narcissus for solo flute with digital delay was an absolute surprise. Languid melodic lines blended with ‘sound grabs’ digitally recorded on the spot by Collins and creating a hypnotic, sensual and highly evocative effect. But the electronic trickery did not detract from Collins’ artistry and absolute control of the music.
Giles performed Carlos Salzedo’s Ballade for Solo Harp with almost carefree romanticism but great acuity at the same time. She is truly one of the world’s best harpists.
The remainder of the program explored music by Ibert (Entracte – it probably works better for flute and guitar rather than for harp), Debussy (En Bateau), Jongen (Danse lente), and Ravel (Pièce en forme de Habanera), each with their own distinct ‘feel’ and ‘light and shade’. The programme concluded with Piazzola’s Histoire du Tango comprising four short pieces that collectively explore the development and evolution of the Tango since its creation in the 1880s.
This concert was warmly appreciated, and Recitals Australia is to be congratulated on yet another fascinating event that deserved to be enjoyed by a larger audience.
Come on Adelaide! Concert opportunities such as this are not common! Get out and enjoy them!
Kym Clayton
When: 14 Sep
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 11 Sep 2015
Schubert’s Ninth Symphony, the so-called ‘Great’, is a total crowd pleaser, and the combined forces of guest conductor Gérard Korsten and the mighty Adelaide Symphony Orchestra lived up to the expectations of an enthusiastic audience.
Korsten is energetic on the podium and he made his intentions for the music very clear to the orchestra, whether it be the need for a sense of playfulness in the Andante of Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, or allowing the piano accompaniment to have prominence in Martinu’s Concerto for Oboe, or to accentuate the punchy staccato in the Schubert. The ASO did as Korsten beckoned and the result was very satisfying.
Even though the Schubert was the ‘main event’, it was clear that a large section of the audience were there to support Australian oboe virtuoso Diana Doherty in the Martinu, and the performance eclipsed the Schubert. The concerto has an interesting connection of sorts with Adelaide and with this evening’s performance. Martinu composed the concerto for fellow Czech Jiri Tancibudek who taught oboe at the Elder Conservatorium in the 1960s–1980s, and Doherty is on the Tancibudek “list” – he taught the teacher of the teacher .… of Doherty. Her skill and musicality is exceptional and she imbued the piece with wistfulness and agitation. Long extended ostinatos effortlessly rose above the orchestral accompaniment, seemingly emerging from nothing. At the conclusion Doherty acknowledged Jamie Cock at the piano – richly deserved praise.
Kym Clayton
When: 11 Sep
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Wind Orchestra. Concordia College Chapel. 3 Jul 2015
Artistic Director and Conductor Peter Handsworth is a programming virtuoso, and his design of the AWO’s latest concert – entitled ‘Jazz @ The Chapel’ – was pure genius. It got us toe tapping with Gershwin’s Cuban Overture, relaxed us with Morton Gould’s über laid back Pavanne, revved us up again with Gershwin’s Prelude No. 2 before blasting us into the stratosphere with a dizzying world première performance by the internationally acclaimed clarinetist Andy Firth in his own composition Australia Fair Variations, and that was all before the interval!
The second half treated us to more of Firth’s ridiculously prodigious talents on the clarinet with a stunning performance Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet, an arrangement of Duke Ellington’s iconic It Don’t Mean A Thing and a full shift into modern jazz with Thad Jones’ Greetings and Salutations.
We experienced jazz with a symphonic treatment through to the modern jazz trio. A full traversal of jazz influences, and all in less than ninety minutes, which was probably a good thing. Could we have stood more excitement?
Handsworth’s treatment of Gershwin was a little heavy handed, and the icy temperature in the Chapel on a cold winter’s evening appeared to cause the ensemble to overplay at times and lose decisiveness in phrasing.
The Australia Fair Variations were great fun to listen to, and the composition was almost an object lesson in how to use ornamentation and alterations to rhythm and meter to create interesting and exciting variations of a well-known tune. Firth’s technique was dazzling and the highlight of the composition was the contrasting middle section that became an homage to the Anzacs before exploding into an unbridled celebration of freedom and joie de vivre!
This was a concert of ‘serious music’ but it was ever so fitting that the large audience should break into spontaneous applause in between variations, which Firth graciously acknowledged. It was also fitting that at the end of the concert Firth should acknowledge the excellent musicianship of the drummer in Greetings and Salutations. (The programme doesn’t list the names of the members of the orchestra and so regrettably I cannot mention him by name!)
And if all that wasn’t enough, Handsworth joined Firth in another of Firth’s compositions entitled Itchywawa or some such name! It had humour and pazzaz. It was a final virtuosic dispay and the audience left wanting more.
Well done Adelaide Wind Orchestra. Another superlative concert.
Kym Clayton
When: 3 Jul
Where: Concordia College Chapel
Bookings: Closed