Beethoven+

This was my second orchestral concert, this one with Maruki Orchestra. And it was a serious program! Beethoven Fifth symphony, Mussorgsky/Ravel Pictures at an exhibition, Weber Oberon overture and Bizet L'Arlesienne suite no.2. Big and demanding and fabulous. John Gould directs and conducts. He's got some great stories that emerge in practice from his time with the London Symphony Orchestra and others. And he's got a nicely supportive approach: not worrying too much about wrong notes (they'll come and it's largely an individual thing anyway) but pushing the feel and form. And sometimes the speed. I'm sure we ended practicing the Beethoven at a faster pace than we played it in performance. I guess that's a conductor's method, and despite our worry about speed, he had to pull us back in the fourth movement when we were getting excited. Performance is different and we rose at the occasion, if not fully for the occasion. Our Pictures was more competent than usual. It has some devilish playing. Also a few tacets for double bass when I can sit back and enjoy the performance, and I especially adore the staccatos going every-which-way amongst the unhatched chicks. Gnomus is a technical thing of fear; Old castle is fabulously effective with its one note bassline (G#); Bydlo give me a feature with a few notes played solo pizz at the end; the Cabane sur des pattes de poule is driving and the Great gate of Kiev is a spine-tingling and majestic finish. Our Oberon was lively and the fast passages seemed to fall more easily; the Bizet was nicely generous; the Beethoven was a challenge as always. The first theme fells nicely; the second movement went decently well - I took on the Trio with some success and again felt robbed of one passage that I particularly enjoy but is allocated to solo cellos (~bar 280); the fourth movement transitions without a break and just keeps on keeping on with recurrent themes and new materials and a fabulous ending that crosses barlines (starting bar 721) and just explodes into the final orchestral hits and the end. Fabulous! There is no way to know a piece like learning and playing it. Again, fabulous. Sound excited? Well, I haven't heard the recording through yet and I'm sure it's not Berlin Phil, but it was a great outing and a great pleasure and there were lots of smiling faces after the gig. Congrats to all but maybe a few mentions are due: to Ben Stewart (oboe) for his solo in Beethoven; to Angela Vivian-Bolt (trumpet) for the solo in Samuel Goldberg und Schmuyle (Pictures); to Arko Chakrabarty (flute) for his solo (where?); to Mark Lim (violin) as concert master; closer to home, to Rachel Towson (cello) for her ability with those quick passages; and, of course, to John Gould (musical director, conductor). And to Alan Johnson (bassoon) who originally asked me if I'd like to play Beethoven's fifth. What a blast!

Symphony or concerto?

This was another great success for the Canberra Symphony under Nicholas Milton. I wasn't so taken by the first half: Mozart Overture from Marriage of Figaro, a light and recognisable piece to start the night, and Beethoven 4th piano concerto with pianist Clemens Leske. I think I prefer symphonies to concerti: more democratic, more balanced and internally consistent, whereas a concerto, even with a 9' Steinway (which I presume they were using) is still unbalanced between solo instrument and the strength of even smaller orchestra, and essentially more an individualist, even competitive event. Maybe it suits the times. The Beethoven was all long chromatics and weighty left hand melody and the lines felt not so even and not too obviously resolved so this didn't so much appeal to me. Then interval, another wine and a return to Mahler Symphony no.1. The first notes were quiet and I wondered if this was indecisive. Not at all. Phrases were soon appearing, from different instruments, even from trumpets off stage, appearing then decaying. Hints. A passage of threat. Then busy, interacting, layered themes, pulling together for a joyous, outgoing, vibrant country fair. Flutes as birds; strings answering; single note harp tacking; deep slurred notes bowed on bass. Then on through layers of melody, and an explosion of percussion and horns and brass. This first movement was richly layered with a touch of rural idyll. The second movement was a strutting 3/4, a lone horn, into a smoother, seductive waltz, then a return to the strutting 3/4. The fourth movement started with a solo bass playing Frere Jacques (kid you not) then a canon through cellos, violas and the rest, melding in and out with another Yiddish-sounding folk song. Nicholas Milton is flailing; he's an effusive conductor, calling for dynamics that an orchestra of undemonstrative Australians is a bit loath to give him. I reckon he's good for the CSO; they could have a little more abandon. Then into the final movement, perhaps revisiting the first, explosive from the start, then through various rises and falls, of volume and intensity. Big with tubas and standing horns and timpani and brass; swingeing bass lines. I thought I judged the finale, but it came and went and came again. Perhaps for a first time, I followed the symphonic structure with some understanding, but I still don't know why the combinations of complex layers then that odd 3/4 second movement with the sandwiched waltz, then Frere Jacques and the folk tunes, then the complexity and energy of the finish. In such a big space, Mahler could have done with a larger orchestra and extra dynamics, but we loved this nonetheless. Very interesting and attractive and satisfying. The orchestra again did the night justice, Clemens Leske did an good job, the combination of works was impressive, even if I had a clear preference for the Mahler symphony, and Nicholas Milton was ever the fine host and vibrant leader. Congrats to our locals.

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra performed under Nicholas Milton (conductor) at Llewellyn Hall. Clemens Leske (piano) soloed in the concerto. The program was Mozart Overture from Marriage of Figaro, Beethoven Piano concerto no.4 and Mahler Symphony no.1.

AYO2014/8 (Orch 4)

The final concert of the AYO National Music Camp for 2014. We can hope for 2016, providing the ANU comes good with its support. I hope they do. The quality of music continues. The Hopkins Chamber Orchestra under Geoffrey Lancaster opens again, this time with Beethoven Creatures of Prometheus excerpts. This is Beethoven so the changes are inevitable and clear but it's also a ballet, so this serves a different master and also serves a classical mythical theme of civilisation replacing ignorance. They played four movements, different in style, strings buzzing with rapid movement at mf volume, flutes and oboes and harp and a solo cello cadenza. Then the Alexander Orchestra under Richard Gill performed Rachmaninov Symphony no.2 in D minor. Apparently it's his first symphony, and Rachmaninov never granted it a number, just left it with the moniker Youth. A nice romantic work with a big end. After interval was the final work, Alexandre Bloch leading the Bishop Orchestra in Stravinsky's Petruschka. It's another ballet work. I'd expected demonstrative and it started that was, but passed through so many sections and emotions. By the end I felt I'd attended a theatrical work, telling a story through scenes and actions and repetitions. It's a murdered puppet's love story for a ballerina (mmm). Perhaps more a product of the era, but I heard Gershwin and West Side Story and some intriguing piano harmonics. The program notes talk of this and the Firebird featuring "two unrelated major chords, played simultaneously and separated by the interval of a tritone". For the jazzers, this is tritone substitution. The program notes also say it's "hitherto unknown before in Western music" and called the "Petrushka chord". Apparently another segment has two trumpets playing melody, one in C major, the other in B flat. Tritone substitution and sidestepping (although that's usually by a semitone). Jazz improv, anyone? Then a truly deserved standing ovation and the cutest of encores. Alexandre Bloch is also a cellist and composer. He put together a classical-themes-best-of medley called "On board the music camp" for this encore. About 6 or 8 renowned themes jointed together quite neatly. Megan recognised Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Then the melancholy joy of the end, at least for the participants. Congrats to AYO again. Magnificent and an eye-opener for what a week in time can do.

The Hopkins Chamber Orchestra under Geoffrey Lancaster performed Beethoven Creatures of Prometheus excerpts. The Alexander Orchestra under Richard Gill performed Rachmaninov Symphony no.2 in D minor. The Bishop Orchestra under Alexandre Bloch performed Stravinsky Petruschka.