Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 1 Dec 2017
Aptly styled “Beauty and Defiance”, the last in the current season of the ASO’s Master Series was nothing less than a triumph. At one point, it brought the large audience to its feet, but more on that later.
Why ‘beauty’, and why ‘defiance’? Each of the three compositions on the programme had elements of both, and they all exalted the irrepressible and ultimately triumphant potential of the human spirit.
Sergei Rachmaninov wrote four piano concerti and pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk has now performed the first (in June 2016) and the second with the Adelaide Symphony. Of the 2016 performance, this reviewer described Gavrylyuk as thrilling his audience with outstanding technique and evocative interpretation. As then, tonight’s performance was drenched in moments of fragility that were boldly contrasted with athletic, almost ferocious displays of intense romanticism played with uncommon virtuosity. Gavrylyuk’s performance was to be seen as much as it was to be heard: his entire body lived every delicate note and crashing chord; his face looked upwards into the infinity of space as the melody soared aloft; with flourishes of his arms he traced the phrasing of Rachmaninov’s achingly beautiful melodies. Flowery language perhaps, but it was indeed an inspired performance and within a fraction of a second of the final note the audience stood and stamped their feet and wolf-whistled and cheered. It was the reception a rock star would have appreciated, and the memory of the event will linger on. (I can almost hear people in years to come saying “were you at the Adelaide Town Hall there when Gavrylyuk played Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2?”)
The tone poem En Saga Op.9 (A Fairy Tale) is one of Sibelius’s early orchestral works and shows the composer at work mastering the craft of orchestral colour and texture. Despite its title, it does not have a program and Sibelius described it more as a revelation of his own character. In history it was composed at a time when Finland was forging a national music identity that likely did not please the ‘Russian Bear’ that was trying to integrate Finland both politically and culturally. Although not a defiant musical response to political events, En Saga is as much a mirror to Sibelius’s psyche as it is to history. Principal horn Sarah Barrett beautifully introduced the first main musical idea and later led the section in a quality display of hand-stopped notes. The later themes included classy performances by Imants Larsens (viola), Celia Craig (oboe) and Dean Newcomb (clarinet).
If En Saga is apolitical, then Shostakovich’s Symphony No.5 in D minor, Op.47 is most definitely not. It was written during the time of Stalin’s ‘great terror’ and Shostakovich lived in fear and in anticipation of being arrested for being a dissident. Whereas ‘the state’ wanted music and cultural expression that was (falsely) indicative of good times and a satisfied and relaxed populace, Shostakovich was more intent on musically depicting the act of rising above pessimism and gloom and suppression.
The popular symphony is broad in scale and is scored for a large orchestra, including not one but two harps, piano, celesta and a full percussion section. The full stage of the Adelaide Town Hall was almost filled to overflowing. Conductor Nicholas Carter confidently led the orchestra and thoughtfully managed the dynamics throughout: no section was ever louder or softer than it should be. This was perhaps signalled by him not using a baton in the two middle movements, in which he allowed the waltz like rhythms, scatty raucousness and extended and beautiful melodies to be coaxed rather than being forced.
It was a memorable concert and an emphatic conclusion to this year’s Master Series. The 2018 series looks full of promise as well, so get your tickets!
Kym Clayton
When: 1 Dec
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
Editor's Note: Review ammended 05/12/17 to replace Adrian Uren with Sarah Barrett, after a correction was notified.
Recitals Australia. Ukaria Cultural Centre. 26 Nov 2017
Natsuko Yoshimoto (violin) and Konstantin Shamray (piano) performed an exciting program with great skill and style to a capacity audience at the magnificent Ukaria Cultural Centre.
Quite simply, it was a stunning display of musicianship and passion.
The program, presented by Recitals Australia, comprised Beethoven’s Sonata No.9 for Piano and Violin in A (Kreutzer), Ravel’s Sonata No.2 for Violin and Piano in G, and Prokofiev’s Sonata No.1 for Violin and Piano in F minor. The three works traversed more than 100 years of compositional development for the piano/violin pairing, and together they exposed the limits to which the pairing can be pushed.
The acoustic of Ukaria is superb, and reveals with immense clarity absolutely everything that the performers do, including the sound made by of a strand of frayed hair being deftly torn from the violinist’s bow. The acoustic accommodated the dynamic approach the performers took: the softest pizzicato on the violin was heard clearly above the forte chords played on the piano.
What was heard of course was a once-off, sadly. As Recitals Australia President Mark de Raad quipped in his welcoming introductory remarks, what was about to be heard would never be heard again exactly like that, because it is live. This very same sentiment was expressed by Yoshimoto and Shamray after the concert in a totally engrossing Q&A session (hosted by national treasure Julia Lester!) when they confided that they aimed for perfection, but that perfection is context bound and depends on many factors, some of which are confounding on the day! A rare insight into the mind of a professional musician.
When asked to comment about the three compositions, Shamray was quick to observe that in the Kreutzer the piano must not overpower the violin, especially in the unison passages, and Yoshimoto astutely observed that the full landscape of the work must be considered in planning for a balance in dynamics. In that, they were mostly successful, and the performance of the Kreutzer was world class. The beginning of each movement was boldly stated, possibly overstated, but the balance throughout was delicate.
The ‘bluesy’ feel of the Ravel was beautifully rendered, especially through Yoshimoto’s superb phrasing and Shamray’s ability to extract bell like tones from the elegant Bosendorfer grand piano.
The Prokofiev was perfectly suited to Ukaria. The shimmering violin figure in the first movement was exquisitely controlled by Yoshimoto, and not a note was lost. The sound was almost intoxicating as one relaxed into it and took in the wonderful countryside vista that formed the backdrop through the large glass walls. The controlled ‘outrage’ of the second movement quickly shook one out of reverie and it was a highlight of the programme. The andante third movement was the calm before the storm that was the allegrissimo final movement in which the Yoshimoto-Shamray partnership was possibly at its best. It was a visual as well as an aural feast, and as the final note gently faded away the audience erupted into generous and heartfelt applause that was entirely merited.
Kym Clayton
When: 26 Nov
Where: Ukaria Cultural Centre
Bookings: Closed
Australian String Quartet. Adelaide Town Hall. 15 Nov 2017
For live classical music, programming is vital. Get it wrong and even the ‘die hards’ won’t turn up. Get it right, and you live to play another day with confidence.
With their third and final national tour for 2017 – styled ‘New Beginnings’ – the Australian String Quartet got everything right: the programme, the playing, and the performance aesthetics.
The highlight of the evening was Bartók’s String Quartet no 1 op 7. I always find Bartók’s music a challenge and I need to turn a ‘different ear’ to his music. Its dissonances, rarefied harmonies, odd interval leaps and spiky rhythms always challenge me – it’s the way my brain is wired – but on this occasion the ASQ’s performance transported me to a new level of appreciation. The clarity in the fugal section together with the delicately held notes in the counterpoint of the first movement from all members of the ensemble won me over, and, like the rest of the audience, my applause at its conclusion was heartfelt and as passionate as the red light that bathed the stage and walls of the Town Hall.
The concert began with a rarity – a performance of Scarlatti’s Sonata à Quattro no 4 in D minor, which is likely one of the very first string quartets ever written. The ASQ expertly applied their matched Guadagnini instruments (all dating from 1740s to 1780s) to the five short movements and produced a tightly controlled but poignant baroque exposition that was as soothing as the blue hues that lit the stage and the players.
Beethoven’s ever-popular String Quartet in F op 59 no 1 – one of the so-called “Razumovsky” quartets, after one of Beethoven’s strongest supporters – rounded out the concert. The ensemble handled the composition’s dynamic layering and emotional shifts with assuredness but they did not hold back. Clarity was a hallmark of the performance.
The ASQ’s 2018 season includes a wide mix of styles and compositions by Philip Glass, Brett Dean, Widmann, Beethoven, Schubert, Ledger and Shostakovich, and kicks off in Februrary.
Kym Clayton
When: 15 Nov
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
The Tea Party. Thebarton Theatre. 2 Nov 2017
It’s no secret that Canadian trio The Tea Party are one of my favourite bands. In fact, of all the bands that are currently in existence, they would probably be number one! So it’s needless to say that I am pretty pumped to witness them grace the mighty stage of the Thebarton Theatre once again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their killer transitional album, Transmission.
The album followed in the footsteps of the band’s breakthrough Edges Of Twilight, and saw them experimenting with electronica and the sounds of the Middle East more than ever before. There are more than a few awesome standout tunes and live favourites thrown into the mix.
It was not too long after the release of this one that I started to get into The Tea Party, dabbling a little while still in high school, and interested in the synergies with Led Zeppelin. Within a few years, I was a full blown fan, and I’m pleased to have had Transmission on high rotation on my stereo ever since.
With the first set of the night due to be a recital of the full Transmission album, where would things begin? Would the band play through in the normal track order, or would they change things up a bit? It’s The Tea Party, and one never really knows what’s coming next (singer Jeff Martin’s remarks during the show are certainly true!), it only adds to the anticipation.
With an album full of light and shade, and plenty of ethereal sounds of the East, there are lots of good starting places, but tonight, it is with the thumping Army Ants, a riotous riffing tune perfect to get the blood pumping. A quick bit of Zeppelin’s Wanton Song intro gave way to equally pumping Babylon, before the first of the melancholic tunes with Psychopomp taking us not into the shade, but into full-blown darkness.
The journey further to the Zeppelin-esque East continues with Gyroscope, and into a live rarity in Emerald. Even the band remarks it is only one of a handful of times they’d played the song live. Alarum and Release balance each other before they launch into one of my faves, the epic Transmission.
Pulse and Aftermath bring up the rear of the set, before it all ends with the obvious choice, the sensational Temptation! The whole crowd is on their feet, joining in and bringing things to fever pitch!
With the Transmission album played in its entirety, there is a short break before things ramp up even further, with the iconic thumping drum intro to The River blasting out and announcing the beginning of the second set. This is such a cool song that gives the band loads of flexibility to incorporate all sorts of interludes, and before long the familiar River tide gives way to Zeppelin’s Dazed And Confused - about as good as it gets without Jimmy Page on stage!
Not content to leave it there, a few bars of Tool’s Sober find their way in before the River gives way to the sea. Another Tea Party epic, The Bazaar follows, before really heading into the deep blue with the massive Ocean At The End, from the band’s last long-player of the same name.
Sadly, my wife Kathleen couldn’t join me at the show, but Jeff and Co. still play one of her favourites, Heaven Coming Down, this time adding a bit of U2’s With Or Without You into the mix in truly perfect style. U2 couldn’t have topped that! With plenty of jamming taking place, the second set starts to draw to a close, with a massive rendition of Save Me, where literally every crowd member screams the iconic chorus line to the delight of the band.
A quick sojourn from the stage precedes the expected encore. After all, they hadn’t played my favourite Tea Party tune yet! Jeff returns solo on the guitar for Zeppelin’s Black Mountain Side tribute, Winter Solstice, before things erupt into my all-time favourite, Sister Awake. An epic tune on its own, complete with different movements in the original album track, lending itself beautifully to incorporate other tunes along the way; we are treated to sections of Paint It Black and even a bit of Bowie’s Heros, before returning to Sister and finishing on a massive high!
As usual, The Tea Party satisfies 110% in what proves to be a killer show! They promise to be back again next year… perhaps with a Triptych celebration, perhaps just with a best of, who knows; either way, it’s sure to be sensational, and I can’t wait!
Luke Balzan
When: 2 Nov 2017
Where: Thebarton Theatre
Bookings: Closed
Fleur Green And The Keepers. Independent. 30 Oct 2017
One thing I’ve learned over many years of writing about music is that it’s always worth giving a song or an album or an artist a chance, even if reading a snippet of a press release would ordinarily have you reaching for the skip button. While everyone in this business loves to pigeonhole, some things just don’t fit a normal classification. Local artist Fleur Green is certainly one such musician. After reading that she and her band The Keepers are an alt-pop act, I would normally just move on, but for whatever reason, I decided to dig a little deeper and give Fleur’s latest offering a quick listen, and I’m glad I did!
While I do normally have a strong affinity for the heavier end of the musical spectrum, I do pride myself on having eclectic (and often, eccentric) tastes, so who knew, perhaps what one may describe as alt-pop may tickle my fancy. Listening to Fleur Green and The Keepers’ debut long player When The Tide Rushes In, it became clear very quickly that there’s a lot more on offer here than would normally be encompassed by pop description.
It was Fleur’s first single, Nadia, that really grabbed me. This was a mix of jazz, carnival, mellow pop-rock, world music flavours, and even touches of the classical, all driven by an awesome catchy wistful melody and tidy 6/8 groove. There’s a sultry mood, driven by strings and sax, and fantastic sounding vibraphone. Anyone playing vibes in a modern release deserves a closer listen! Couple that with gentle poetic vocals and I was in for the ride.
The rest of the album continues on a similar theme, with an interesting mix of instrumentation giving the whole thing a festive, carnival feel but with a classical style undercurrent. I learned that Fleur plays an impressive range of the instruments herself, dabbling in piano, strings, tuned percussion, and more. The Keepers are her rhythm section, and there’s a range of guests on the album too, supplying tubas, sax, cello and guitars where needed. Musically, the tunes owe a lot to jazz forms, but it’s certainly in no way traditional, though would go together with piano jazz nicely.
The more I listen, the more depth I realise there is. There are different melodies and interludes to hear with repeated listens of When The Tide Rushes In, new instrumental forms and nuances and the like, and that’s to say nothing of the lyrical content. While for me music speaks louder than words, there’s some interesting comments and themes that Fleur addresses here. It rounds the whole thing out to a nice little package. And best of all, it’s a local package too!
Fleur Green and The Keepers launch When The Tide Rushes In at The Grace Emily on Saturday November 4th. Check out their Facebook page for future local gigs.
Luke Balzan
When: 4 Nov
Where: The Grace Emily
Bookings: eventbrite.com.au
Follow: facebook.com/TheKeepersrock