Science and mythology and time

It's a work of art and myth but I find it difficult to think of the planets other than in a sense of astronomy, that being a hobby of mine in the past, and in doing so, Holst Planets also reveals its age.  It was written 1914-1917, the time of WW1 and after Jules Verne War of the Worlds, that novel of an invasion of Earth by Martians.  So the military 5/4 theme of Mars, which is the first planet pictured, is relevant, and the title Mars: the bringer of war.  But then Venus: the bringer of peace seems a bit odd given its impossible hot, cloudy, thunderous surface.  Famously Venera 9 finally landed on Venus, took the first photos of the surface and operated for 53 minutes.  Not that we could live free on the surface of Mars, but it's a bit more forgivable.  Mercury the winged messenger speaks of the Roman God with flighty flute, glock and harp.  Then out to Jupiter and jollity, Saturn and old age, Uranus the magician, Neptune the mystic and no Pluto which was not discovered until 1930 but then maybe here Holst is up-to-date, given that Pluto is now considered only a dwarf planet, not the real thing.  But this is art and the music was a pleasure.  The dynamics from the CSO were massive and hugely effective if there were some very minor issues otherwise, but this was a mighty performance and mightily well received by a full-house crowd.  Amusingly, I'd passed the crowd the night before and only just then remembered our booking, given an auto entry in a wrong calendar and seemingly limited options making me use Google Wallet for the first time.  What do you do if you drop a phone these days, I wonder.  But there was more and it was all cleverly themed with the Planets.  First up, Benjamin de Murashkin Logos, all filmic and vast, from shimmering textures to violent stellar eruptions.  Benjamin was there and took to the stage to receive applause.  And Josef Strauss Music of the spheres, a collection of several waltzes depicting spinning couples orbiting a ballroom, so apt.  And it was a mighty orchestra.  I measure by basses: there were 5.  And off stage, women of the CSO chorus who appeared on stage in black for their recognition.  And lively, mobile Jessica Cottis up front to bring it all together.  Impressive and entertaining and often loud... even from the very back row upstairs...

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra and Women of the CSO Chorus performed de Murashkin, Josef Strauss and Holst the Planets under Jessica Cottis (conductor).

All is well

I ran into some fellow classical players and one had just started going to CSO concerts because she was approaching 35 and that's the cutoff age for cheaper tickets and another had played in Canberra for yonks and this was his first concert.  We'd been subscribers but missed gigs too often to maintain a subscription and then had got too busy.  But I was glad we got back for this one.  The music was Charles Ives Unanswered question, Elena Kats-Chernin Night and now, a flute concerto with Sally Walker, and Tchaikovsky Symphony 6.  Observations?  We were up the back so interesting to observe the lone trumpeter injecting into Ives, as an alternative voice.  Jessica Cottis had argued this was about a staid life and the alternative.  Then Elena K-C in 3 movements.  I found the first movement pretty steady and repeating, but it enlivened for the second and third movements, even if the flute could be lost amongst the great hubble-bubble.  Then the Tchaikovsky.  Apparently Tchaiks considered it his best work.  I was his last - he died ~8 days after the first performance.  It starts quietly, then a 5/4 waltz and a march and the quieter final movement.  I can't hear Tchaiks without marvelling at his ability to create glorious melody from the simple lines, then meld and mould it.  And the CSO did a great job, nice phrasing and movement and section play, and huge dynamics.  We were in the last row upstairs and i measured volume around 88Db down to a whisper.  And Jessica Cottis virtually dances on the conductor's podium.  Interestingly, the orchestra seemed to be well off her indications, but consistently so, so it all held together, so good.  They were recording, so many mics around the stage.  We left in some elation, and not just Megan and I, but also muso friends we saw afterwards..  Plenty of smiles so all good.  Very glad we went.

Jessica Cottis (conductor) led the Canberra Symphony Orchestra at Llewellyn Hall playing Ives, Kat-Chernin and Tchaikovsky with soloist Sally Walker (flute).

PS.  The following day I had lunch with Elena Kats-Chernin and it was a very pleasant outing.  We talked of music, of course, but not just.  Meeting musicians outside the concert hall gives you a chance to talk of other things.  It's a key pleasure when we host CIMF visitors.  We talked of family, home, history,  music and musicians and previous night's concert (the encore was Eliza's aria from Wild Swans), touched on politics, national and otherwise.  Perhaps more.   Such an interesting, wide ranging discussion and a pleasant interlude.  Elena, lovely to chat.

Biggie B9

I've recently been living off this quote from Dave in the bass section of the CSO: "It's not that hard; it just takes a year to learn it".  He was talking of the bass part of Beethoven Symphony no.9.  I just saw them playing it and the bass section did a fabulous job, clear and present and crisply played.  The next morning I looked at the B9 bass part and I can see what he meant.  Lots of notes over 25 close pages of bass clef, but it's in Dmin so just one flat, and key changes to just 2 flats and 2 sharps at various times and pretty few accidentals, so the fast runs are scalar and mostly consistent.  There are some big intervals and the lower notes that get played on their extensions so some clumsy stuff, and the tempos are not very forgiving although pretty consistent, but it is a work of supreme genius so worth the effort.  The CSO did a great job at a decent tempo.  The singers were satisfying.  The choir was prepared by Tobias Cole and was good but I just wanted it bigger.  I guess ~100 on stage with choir of ~40.  The vocal segment only comes in the final movement, although that's the longest.  The choir sat from the start, but the feature singers entered after the second movement, I guess to allow that transition to the final thrills.  They don't sing masses, but they were lovely to hear: always the presence of the soprano, the fullness of mezzo, the bigness of bass and the humanity of tenor.  But mostly my ears were for the basses.  I did notice a revealing passage where a lines moves from bass to cello to viola to seconds to end with the firsts, not always identical but related.  For me it was a revelation for the violas.  Otherwise, Jessica Cottis was flowing and expressive in her conducting and informative with her introduction, as were the EU Ambassador to Australia, Gabriele Visentin, and CSO CEO, Rachel Thomas, who introduced the concert.  The Ode to joy is the EU's anthem, of course.  And not to forget composer Miriama Young who wrote the introductory piece, a brooding and fairly short Daughters of Elysium, who appeared on stage to applause after.  But it's hard to share with B9.  It was given as 71min duration but it felt nothing like that.  I guess it's a function of how well it's known, although I did notice the repeated themes a few times, especially in the third movement.  But the explosive styles and the uplifting power and the thrilling fugues just take you over.  Perhaps not apt for a classical concert but my head was often nodding and my mouth a grin.  Just so fabulous.  I just hope to play this great work one day.  Congrats to our local orchestra and great to see so many local faces on stage and off.  Bravo and thanks!

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven Symphony no.9 and Miriam Young in Llewellyn under Jessica Cottis (musical director, conductor).  Kristen Williams (violin) was concertmaster.  Solo singers were Emma Pearson (soprano), Ashlyn Tymms (mezzo soprano), James Eagglesone (tenor) and Adrian Tamburini (bass).  Tobias Cole (chorus master) prepared the CSO Chorus.  The bass section comprised Max McBride (principal), Kyle Ramsay-Daniel, David Flynn and Muhamed Mahmedbasic.

How to live happily ever after

It's our local orchestra and we'd got a good deal but I was not so keen on the program.  So I thought and how wrong one can be.  The program was two commissioned modern-Australian pieces and a Scriabin piano concerto and Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade.  We'd heard Scheherazade several times, even by the Berlin Phil, and I'd listened to some of the Scriabin in the afternoon and I wasn't so taken.  Maybe it's the live effect but, in the end, I loved this all deeply (when I could ignore the immensely offensive plot).  Scheherazade was all the lyrical beauty that it is expected and the storyline, assisted by a rear projection, was clear and gave order to the whole.  Early on I wished for more dynamics, those pp passages that have you leaning in your seats, but then the ff passages worked and the dynamics became stronger and the lyricism leaped forward and Jessica Cottis' urgings fell into place and the main work was a huge pleasure.  But not the first for the night.  The Scriabin presented some busy and expansive piano and was a real pleasure, even if occasionally lost amongst the 55 players of the orchestra.  It's an easy slip up, that.  But nonetheless, a telling performance by orchestra and soloist.  The two commissioned pieces seemed to share some aspects, both ~8 mins, both with busy bows playing big crescendoes although one with more than the other.  Miriama Young's piece was called Kinds of blue.  I expected references to Miles, but rather it referred to various shade of blue in found Rothko paintings.  Interesting but odd for a jazzer given the Miles relationship.  Sine Winther played piano.  The other commission was Harry Sdraulig Beyond the ridge, the ranges far, dedicated to a very recently deceased wife with a pic of her walking amongst mountain peaks.  What a wonderful memorial.  Again, some sort of repetition, with each peak followed by another valley and another peak.  Jessica Cottis programmed the night called Electric Blue and spoke of synaesthesia, in which music is experienced in colours.  At least Rimsky-Korsakov had it and Wikipedia says so does JC, so it's relevant.  I wonder how she funds the CSO after all her Euro experiences.  It's a fine orchestra but I wonder if it's a little comfortable as Australians can be.  It wasn't by the end of the night; it was a blast.  Good on ya, CSO and JC.  Well done.

The Canberra Symphony Orchestra played Young, Scriabin, Sdraulig and Rimsky-Korsakov in Llewellyn under Jessica Cottis (musical director, conductor) with soloist Sine Winther (piano) and concertmaster Kirsten Williams (violin).

Sydney comes to Canberra

The SSO were in town for C100. Or to put it without acronyms, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra were on a regional tour and visited Canberra for our 100th birthday celebration. Apparently this was their first visit for 10 years. They played at the Llewellyn Hall. I was interested to hear this outfit. James spoke highly of the musicians. I’d only heard the SSO in the Opera House, and that’s big and impersonal and not renowned for its acoustics, but I know Llewellyn and I’ve been hearing the CSO and other orchestras recently, so my ears are more attuned. Also, they were playing another Beethoven symphony and I’m still (in my classical innocence) marking them off.

James was right. These guys are very, very good and I’m not at all surprised: they are full time professionals in a standing orchestra; they are performing every few days; Australian musicians are capable and well trained. I sat in three spots for three pieces: two in the dress circle and one in the stalls under the dress circle. I was surprised by how differently it sounded. The orchestra wasn’t large so I thought this was why they sounded tame and thin upstairs, but they were suddenly full and satisfying and comfortably loud under the arch. I also heard the sound as quite unbalanced when I was upstairs: heavy on bass and lacking on higher strings. They played Stravinsky, Brahms and Beethoven. My favourite was Stravinsky’s lively highlights from Pucinella: more modern with more complex and choppy rhythms and a comical segment of bass and trombone. Then Brahm’s Violin concerto Op.77 in D. This was complex, perhaps turgid, quite difficult to follow (not just my observation). I listened for the violin solo that has become the written standard. It’s a strange habit of classical music, that improvisations have become written parts. I was disappointed that I often lost the solo violin when the orchestra entered. I wondered if this was violin volume or a function of the upstairs acoustics. I was just a little uncomfortable with this piece. Then interval and a return with Beethoven’s (Pastoral) Symphony no.6, Op.86 in F major. I was seated downstairs and right from the first notes I could hear comfort and confidence with its simple melodies and evident variations. Not that it was my favourite, but it was beautifully played and an unforced composition. The idyll of the countryside was a favourite theme at that time, all birds and pastures and and thunderstorms. It seemed a pretty easy piece to perform although there were some devastating bass lines in the thunderstorm sequence. Maybe the orchestra just made it look easy. The orchestra (and two extra horns) played on with an encore on Handel's Water music. Who can help but love a fusillade of brass?

So, the program wasn’t immensely challenging but I was mightily impressed by the orchestra. They sounded beautifully together and from the right vantage point they were full sounding and well balanced and their phrases passed easily between players and melded into a lovely whole. I was thinking of how I would express their character, though. They played beautifully and accurately together, but perhaps clinically. Maybe it’s professional musos who play daily and are performing a pretty mainstream program. Maybe it’s the nature of a modern concert hall compared to the ornamented box-like concert halls of Europe. Maybe it’s an Australian take on music with a German character: shared professionalism and skills but different culture. It seemed clinical and correct to my ears but I don’t mean that as a value judgement. I was mightily impressed by the SSO and very glad I attended this concert.

Jessica Cottis (conductor) led the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with members of Sydney Sinfonia. Katerina Nazarova (violin) played the Brahms concerto. The pieces were Stravinsky Pucinella suite, Brahms Violin concerto and Beethoven Symphony no.6 in F Op.69 (Pastoral).