Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 9 Sep 2016
Artists take their inspiration from diverse sources, and after the clay is fired or the paint has set or the ink is dry, it is often entirely unclear to the audience as to the connection between the final product and the inspiration. Often the connection needs to be spelled out to make it accessible.
This is certainly the case in relation to Hollow Kings by Australian contemporary composer James Ledger, who took his inspiration from certain speeches that are either spoken by or about a King from a Shakespearean play. (Hollow Kings? Memories of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hollow Crown come to mind.)
Hollow Kings comprises four musical ‘interludes’ (Ledger’s word, not mine) inspired by Macbeth, Henry VIII, Richard III, and King Lear. Ledger’s explanations in the concert programme notes are interesting, but the connections between the inspiration and the musical language is tenuous. Arguably, a piece of music should stand on its own merits as a piece of pure music, and whether it is programmatic or not is mostly only of intellectual interest.
The orchestration of Hollow Kings is divested of ornamentation and richness – it is almost sparse, and in that lies its interest, but not much.
Maestro Nicholas Carter again opted for a non-traditional layout for the orchestra, this time with the double basses to his far left, the first and second violins spread across the width of the stage, and the violas and cellos directly in front of the conductor’s podium.
This produced a wonderful aural effect for Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. The impact of the iconic opening was distributed across the stage, rather than being tightly localized. It had the effect of softening the sound, especially in those sections of the middle movements where conflict abounds. This could have been counterproductive but Carter gave the entire symphony a sense of assurance.
Russian pianist Alexei Volodin gave an impassioned but precise reading of Brahm’s romantic Piano Concerto No. 2. The horns beautifully introduced the piece and Volodin had us eating out of his hands as he nonchalantly tossed off the opening broken chords. From then it was a masterful display of technique, controlled power and phrasing, and brooding humanity.
Kym Clayton
When: 9 Sep
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
