Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
Mozart 40
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Auckland Town Hall
September 14
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
The APO’s “Mozart 40” concert opened with Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi’s “Lucioles” (Fireflies) which was influenced by the haiku,
“By the lily leaves
The fireflies anchor
The lake is illuminated”
It was the three images of leaves, firefly and lake which the composer takes as the core of the creation, illustrating the simple to expose the grandeur of Nature.
The piece opened with the music conveying a shimmering atmospheric sound with the percussion instruments providing a throbbing undertone signifying a life force. The agitated strings gave a sense of darting insects and their flickering lights.
The music managed to capture not only the physical qualities of leaves, fireflies and water but also the notions of light, sound, movement and reflection.
The work seemed to expand from the depiction of the fireflies over the lake to a vision of the night sky, the insects becoming metaphors or symbols for the cosmos. The feelings the work generated were those we have in encountering the vastness and intricacy of Nature.
The second work on the programme was an electrifying performance of Prokofiev’s “Violin Concerto No 1” by Ilya Gringolts.
After the slow ethereal opening his playing became more impassioned with some frantic bowing, displaying a deep understanding of the work. He produced some taut emotional playing, conveyed through his total control without the need for unnecessary display. There were raw aggressive moments as well as softer, tentative sequences while at other times his playing was enigmatic. There were also passages of whimsical playing while at other time it was extravagant but at all the time he was formidably focused on the music.
The fairground themes of the second movements which foreshadow the composers later compositions for film were soon turned into more robust sounds with some powerful contrasting passages.
His playing was technically brilliant and his duets with various instruments of the orchestra were all precise and incisive.
During Gringolts performance one was constantly aware of the interaction between the violinist, the orchestra and the Norwegian conductor Eivind Aadland. With the major work on the programme, Mozart’s Symphony No 40 the conductor’s role was very evident.
Like the composers’ operas, the symphony was operatic in nature, filled with drama, humour and emotion. Aadkand ensured that these qualities were expressed and his own bodily movements displayed a physical response to the music. Along with his formal conducting gestures he displayed a flamboyant style worthy of a Southern European conductor and he often moved with a dancer’s litheness and intensity.
He made one aware of Mozart’s evolving contracts and changing dynamics with a precise attention to detail. He also drew attention to Mozart’s innovative ways of using instruments and the inventive ways in which he made transitions between themes and instrumentation.
The operatic nature of the work was particularly evident in the final movement where the instruments appeared to be involved in elaborate and dynamic conversations mirroring the robust conclusions of his operas.
As an added bonus to the concert Jonathan Cohen the Principal Clarinettist along with Ingrid Hagan, Principal Bassoonist gave a brief introduction to next week’s Mozart’s Clarinet concert where Annelien van Wauwe will be playing the work on a basset clarinet which would have been the type of instrument Mozart would have composed it for.
The two Apo Principals gave a spirited master class on the differences between the new and older clarinet with extended examples.
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