Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 29 Nov 2024
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s final Symphony Series concert was ….. titanic! The drawcard on the program was Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D, known as the “Titan”, but there was much other glorious music on offer as well.
As is now customary, the concert began with Pudnanthi Padninthi – a musical Acknowledgment of Country – and tonight it was performed without the conductor’s oversight. The mighty Adelaide Symphony Orchestra knows this contemporary piece backwards and inside out but continues to imbue it with a sense of freshness. The band doesn’t merely play the notes: the score means something to them, and they have license to exercise their own interpretation. It’s special.
Guest conductor Keitaro Harada then strode to the stage resplendent in black tails, crisp white evening shirt, highly polished black patent leather shoes, and bright red socks. According to his social media, Harada wears the red socks for a solemn reason – to honour of one of his family members who has passed away. Still, the visuals create a sense of expectation and excitement about what is to follow, andthe audience is not disappointed. Harada’s musical interpretations and consequential conducting style is vibrant, sometimes novel, and always exciting.
This reviewer adores Mahler and over the years has enjoyed listening to many recordings and live performances of all the Mahler symphonies and remembers Arvo Volmer’s full cycle with the ASO with much affection. But listening to Harada’s reading of the Titan is like hearing it for the first time, and this is exactly how it should be. In his excellent book “Why Mahler?”, well known music commentator Norman Lebrecht opines that “The first truth in Mahler interpretation is that there are no absolutes, no hard and fast rules”. Indeed, Mahler himself frequently revised his own scores and annotated them with descriptions of how they could/should be interpreted, but these changed. Arguably Harada is of the same mind as Lebrecht, and the result is quite astonishing. The overall duration is ‘about standard’ but one senses some sections are quicker, ‘punchier’ and have more ‘attitude’ than usual, while others are slower and more keenly articulated. For example, the enunciation at the start of the second movement was dramatic, and Harada’s gesture was blatant and as he punched and pushed the air. The string principals in particular confirmed Harada’s intentions, none more so than violist Justin Julian who urged his section with controlled passion and demonstrable attitude. The third movement saw Harada almost outline the steps on his podium to a march as the double basses introduced the thematic material, which is a nod to Frère Jacques. The final moments of the last movement see the full horn section standing with the bells of their instruments unmuted and firmly directed at the audience, with Harada almost defying them to blow down the walls of the packed Adelaide Town Hall. The final note saw the audience erupt into zealous, almost adoring applause which was sustained with foot stamping, wolf whistles and cheering. An art music mosh pit! Just wonderful, and the looks of sheer delight on the faces of the members of the orchestra was heart-warming. Harada was presented with the customary large bouquet of gorgeous flowers from Tynte Flowers, but he gave them to tutti violinist Ann Axelby who is about to retire from the ASO. A fitting and touching gesture. Thank you, Ann!
To this reviewer’s ear, Lebrecht’s “truth” doesn’t apply to the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64, which was the main work in the first half of the program, but Harada initially insisted on a ‘big sound’ in the first movement prior to the sublime cadenza from the soloist Kate Suthers (who is usually the ASO’s concertmaster). Suthers was at risk of being overpowered but it somehow worked. Her performance of the first movement cadenza was just exquisite: beautiful, sweet tones with almost no vibrato to speak of; well thought-out dynamics in the context of the progression of the entire work; almost ethereal pianissimos, and unpretentious fortissimos. The understanding between Harada and Suthers was on show. On occasions they looked intently at each other, a smile here, a quick laugh (almost!) there. At the end of the concerto, they hugged with affection, and the audience lapped it up. Adelaide audiences love it when one of their own is a featured artist, and Suthers was almost drowned in enthusiastic applause. The audience was invited to do so by Harada who, with a clear hand gesture, encouraged them to ‘give it up’ again and again, and he was obliged. Suthers was humbled by the attention – she needn’t be – and simply said ‘thanks’ as she led the principal string players (except the bass) in a sweet lullaby encore.
Early in the concert the audience was treated to an Australian première performance of British composer Ruth Gipps’ Death on the Pale Horse, Op. 25. It was written in 1943, and is a joy to hear, even though it has taken eighty years to be performed by an Australian orchestra. Knowing that the piece was inspired by a famous painting depicting an horrific battle scene, many of its musical phrases – especial on horn and oboe – force one to become contemplative about the waste that is war. The piece should be heard more often.
This reviewer has made much mention of the conductor, and for good reason. Keitaro Harada is young (he’s only forty next February), he’s accomplished and recognised internationally, and he’s exciting. His musical interpretations are distinctive, and although he gives the music primacy, as he should, he’s also an entertainer at heart and is unafraid of being so on the podium. He’s one to watch, and one that the next generation of musicians and conductors can and should learn from.
The ASO’s management and programmers have come up trumps with this concert, and it can be enjoyed again on Friday 14 December on ABC Classic radio. This reviewer will certainly be tuning in.
Kym Clayton
When: 29 Nov
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
Baroque Hall. 18 Nov 2024
The Firm comprises concert producers and composers Raymond Chapman Smith and Quentin Grant, and their concert on 18 November was the 140th since their first in 1996. Over their 28-year history, The Firm has been a vital element of Adelaide’s musical life, staging a concert series every year featuring new compositions and works by some of the great composers of the past, and providing valuable opportunities for emerging composers and performers.
Ukrainian-born, Adelaide-raised and now Switzerland-based pianist Marianna Grynchuk is much loved by Adelaide audiences and her return was warmly welcomed.
She opened this concert for solo piano with Franz Schubert’s Ungarische Melodie in B minor D.817 (1824), a delightful piece based on a Magyar dance. It opens with a teasing offbeat rhythm and, as it winds its way through a series of seductive modulations, it seems to take on the character of an inwardly reflective song rather than an energetic gypsy dance, ending quietly with just a hint of despondency.
Next we heard Raymond Chapman Smith’s Mondseeklavier (undated). Mondsee, which translates as ‘moon lake’, is a small town in Austria on the shores of the similarly named lake, and perhaps Chapman Smith’s work is inspired by it. It comprises 14 short pieces that could be described as miniatures or preludes, the kind of pieces that one might compose while on holiday in a quiet, moonlit lakeside resort.
Each piece, though concise, is complete in itself. They have the character of Romanticism, with their quietly intense emotional expressiveness, though some diverge from typical cadence and thus seem unfinished, adding to their intrigue. Each is identified only by its tempo indication. The third, Lento Moderato suggests a lullaby, while the eighth, Adagio, is deliciously poignant. These delightful pieces have, overall, a somewhat melancholy feel, and collectively form a quite hypnotic companion to the Schubert. Grynchuk is an experienced performer of Chapman Smith’s music and knows just how to bring out the gorgeous musicality and charm of his work.
Quentin Grant’s Birds in the Café Braunerhof (2024) is a set of 10 short piano pieces inspired by the popular Viennese café of that name, which is evidently frequented by literary figures. These bright, engaging pieces obliquely reference Viennese Romanticism but are more contemporary, and many of the pieces evoke the sound of birdsong — in the first, Braunerhof, dolce, the tinkling of the piano in the upper registers mimics the sounds of agitatedly chirping birds.
The seventh piece, entitled Walser, presumably refers to the Swiss writer Robert Walser (1878 – 1956), and Grant has previously composed works inspired by or referring to this enigmatic character; Grant’s Walser is itself suitably enigmatic. Two other pieces, Walk 1 and Walk 2, presumably also refer to this writer who was renowned for taking long walks in the country (as was Schubert). It is on such walks that birdsong is best heard — Grant’s Birds in the Café Braunerhof thus connects walking with writing, music and birds.
Emerging Adelaide composer Marcus Kha’s Fried is a short but quite complex and involving piano work which, the composer states, is intended to form the first element of a suite depicting eggs in their various forms, and it opens with a loud note evoking the cracking of an egg and its sizzling in a pan. Even if you are unaware of the culinary reference, it’s most enjoyable, and the full suite will be eagerly anticipated.
This engaging recital concluded with Schubert’s Four Impromptus D. 935 composed in 1827, the year before his death. Collectively, these impromptus constitute one of the great works for piano — with interlinking themes, the four seem to form a single work, taking the listener on a journey that ultimately suggests joyous wonder at life.
Marianna Grynchuk’s performance is entrancing, as she captures these pieces’ emotional character. The technically demanding final piece, the Allegretto scherzando in F minor is energetically jaunty and upbeat, bringing a suitably optimistic tone to conclude this memorable concert.
In this recital, the compositions complement each other, and their juxtapositioning emphasises their character, with each segueing into the next, making for a rich listening experience and educating the audience’s musical palate. Typically, each Firm concert features what they describe as a “posthumous composer in residence”, a past composer whose music is featured, and who acts as a reference point for the whole concert program; in this case, it was Schubert.
Over the years, composers Chapman Smith and Grant have each produced vast bodies of work which deserve to be heard more often, as exemplified by their fine contributions to this concert. Long may they continue.
Chris Reid
When: 18 Nov
Where: Baroque Hall, North Adelaide
Bookings: Closed
Croxton Bandroom, Thornbury, 26 October
This is how the fight will be remembered
And this is how the voice getting stronger and louder!
These lyrics are from the song (Not) Public Property by the unique and remarkable Indonesian band Voice of Baceprot. The song is a feminist anthem rejecting the treatment of women as public property, and they open their concerts with it. The song continues:
Our body is not public property
We have no place for the dirty mind
Our body is not public property
We have no place for the sexist mind!
VoB comprises three young women whose music is a sophisticated blend of hard rock and rap with funky rhythms and frequently changing time signatures, inflected with traditional Sundanese flavours including the pentatonic scale. While they are described as a ‘metal’ band, such a simple categorisation does not adequately convey the complexity of their finely honed oeuvre.
Most of all, their rousing songs address vitally important social justice issues — they call for women’s independence and empowerment and greater educational opportunities for girls, and they critique environmental degradation, war and discrimination.
VoB: Marsya (guitar and voice), Sitti (drums), and Widi (bass), photo Chris Reid
Comprising Firdda ‘Marsya’ Kurnia (voice and guitar), Widi Rahmawati (bass), and Euis Siti ‘Sitti’ Aisyah (drums), VoB have just completed their first Australian tour. Unfortunately, their Adelaide concert was cancelled, evidently due to ‘logistical issues’ (their schedule seemed way too tight), obliging your intrepid reporter to travel to Melbourne for their gig there.
And what a gig it was! Attending a VoB concert is much more than a fascinating musical experience. The audience is urged to sing with them and join in their calls for social justice. Their high-energy delivery combines with their warm, approachable stage presence and relatable social justice concerns to create an emotionally charged experience — fans can be seen with tears in their eyes after attending a concert.
In 2014, while in their very early teens, Marsya, Widi and Sitti got together when attending an Islamic junior high school (a Madrasah Tsanawiyah) in Singajaya, a small farming village in the mountains of West Java where they grew up. The word baceprot (pronounced ba-che-prot) is Sundanese for annoyingly noisy.
They needed a creative outlet and their school guidance counsellor, Cep Ersa Ekasusila Satia (known as Abah Erza or Father Erza), introduced them to guitar and drums and helped them write their early songs. Their discovery of ‘metal’ music proved a lightbulb moment and they began playing covers of music by prominent metal groups, but they faced strong opposition from their school and from their parents as such music was considered ‘the devil’s music’ and haram (forbidden).
Their first original song, School Revolution, written early on, demands improved educational opportunities for girls, and in response to the discrimination, harassment and even violence they endured, they then wrote the song God Allow Me (Please) to Play Music.
Ignoring their critics and eschewing the arranged early marriages that are typical in their rural community, they committed themselves to their music, and they were performing on television and at important events such as the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival by the time they finished secondary school. Their journey over the last decade has been characterised by the utmost courage, dedication and resilience.
Marsya, photo Chris Reid
VoB’s power-laden music is music of defiance, and they see it not as ‘the devil’s music’ but as a force for positive change in society. The Other Side of Metalism is another song that challenges their critics.
Vocalist Marsya is a charismatic figure, engaging the audience directly — you cannot be a passive observer — and her emotionally charged voice has an almost visceral impact. In introducing their anti-war song, What’s the (Holy) Nobel Today?, she screams repeatedly, ‘The genocide is still happening, we can’t be silent!’, and the audience answers her call. Everyone sings:
Stop war, we hate war!
Stop war, we hate war!
Stop war, we hate war!
Stop war, we hate war!
PMS (Perempuan Merdeka Seutuhniya, or Completely Independent Women) is another feminist anthem, attacking sexism and the abuse of women. Shaking her fist, Marsya introduces PMS with a rhythmic chant of ‘Freedom … for … life! Freedom … for … life!’ and again the audience joins in. The chorus goes:
Though not as immaculate as Virgin Mary
I'm not a slave to your rotten brain
Though not as immaculate as Virgin Mary
I'm free, free completely
In a different vein, their cover of Queen’s We Will Rock You again gets the audience singing along.
Widi’s virtuosic bass playing and Sitti’s complex drumming patterns establish the foundation of VoB’s characteristic sound. There are frequent bass solos as well as guitar solos, and Sitti also performs an extended drum solo — VoB’s musical skills and ensemble playing are of the highest order.
Mighty Island, which addresses ongoing environmental degradation due to people’s selfishness, opens with an earth-shattering bass riff and later includes a Sundanese proverb about honesty and integrity which Marsya gently sings in the traditional nyinden style.
Their instrumental piece Kawani (Sundanese for courage) is an entrancing composite of many short, contrasting passages, each with its own time signature, rhythmic character and musical reference, and it includes a passage where Widi mimics the delicate sound of the Sundanese kecapi (a kind of zither) on her bass while Marsya’s guitar solo evokes the sound of the suling (flute).
In response to overwhelming audience demand, they gave an encore, The Enemy of Earth is You, which critiques the trashing of their home district by tourists.
Their album Retas was released last year, they toured Europe in 2021 and 2022 and the US in 2023, and they played at the Glastonbury music festival in June this year, the first Indonesian band ever to perform there.
They collaborate with organisations aligned with their concerns, for example Women of the World, a UK-based foundation established to support women and girls. They have performed for the Indonesian Ministry of Religion and for Amnesty International, and at events variously promoting modest fashion, AIDS awareness and research into cervical cancer.
VoB’s work extends beyond musical performances — they have recently established their ruang riung or creative space in the regional city of Garut where they are based. Ruang Riung Baceprot includes a music studio, a café, a library and a merchandise store, and one of its roles will be to support young musicians.
Though they still have their detractors, VoB have gained significant recognition within Indonesia and around the world. This year they won the Anugerah Perempuan Hebat, Indonesia’s Great Women’s Award, for inspirational leadership in promoting freedom of expression, and they were cited in Forbes Asia magazine’s 30 Under 30 Stars and Athletes category for breaking stereotypes and empowering their generation.
The Indonesian ambassador to the UK, who hosted them in London, has even described VoB as an arm of Indonesia’s soft diplomacy. VoB are proving to be significant role models for young women and for moderate, peaceful, culturally-inclusive Islam.
Let’s hope that VoB will perform in Adelaide soon.
Before VoB took the stage, rapper Mudrat warmed up the audience with an intense performance critiquing the dispossession of First Nations communities and the failure of government to address such important issues, nicely complementing VoB’s activism and making for a most thought-provoking evening.
Chris Reid
When: 26 Oct
Where: Croxton Bandroom, Thornbury, Victoria
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Elder Hall. 16 Oct 2024
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s fourth concert in its popular Matinee series delighted the near capacity audience. Featuring three works not often heard in local concert halls, there was something for everyone. Hummel’s Concerto for Bassoon in F provided an uncommon opportunity to hear the bassoon as a featured solo instrument, and who better to play it but the ASO’s very own Mark Gaydon!
Following what has now become the traditional musical Acknowledgement of Country, the concert began with a fairly standard reading of the Overture to Weber’s opera Euryanthe. First performed a little over two hundred years ago, Euryanthe is argued to be one of Weber’s most important operas, but like so many operas that have come before, or after it, it has slipped into relative obscurity and only the overture survives into concert programs. The overture is reputably an outstanding example of the early German Romantic style, but it struggles to really stir one’s spirits as overtures should do at the commencement of a concert. Kate Suther led the strings with aplomb and the stage was set for many more sweet and comforting sounds to come.
Conductor Nicholas Braithwaite conservatively marshalled the orchestra with not a hint of flamboyance. He has a diversity and depth of experience upon which to call – he doesn’t need to resort to ostentation – and he allowed the band to do exactly what was needed throughout the program. Wisdom shone through!
In the hands of a master like Mark Gaydon, the bassoon is an exceptionally emotional and expressive instrument, and Gaydon allowed the playfulness, particular in the third rondo vivace movement of the concerto, to come through in leaps and bounds. With most brass and woodwinds not being needed (only oboe and French horn remained), Gaydon’s bassoon filled the expanse of Elder Hall with warm and comforting sounds much like those of a baritone singer. Many in the audience took the occasional opportunity to listen attentively behind closed eyes, as did this reviewer, and the effect was transporting. Gaydon was enthusiastically applauded at the end and was brought back for two additional curtain calls.
Brahm’s Variations on a Theme of Joseph Haydn, Op.56, is an interesting work. It began its life as a piano duet but is now better known in its orchestral form, and musicologists doubt the thematic material was in fact written by Haydn. That aside, the theme – Chorale St Antoni – is lush and melodic and the eight short variations are developed in quite attention-grabbing ways. The Chorale is more evident in some variations, with only a fleeting glimpse in others, before its eventual restatement in the finale, which sees Braithwaite really launch himself into the majestic and celebratory conclusion.
The ASO’s matinee series concerts are each only about sixty minutes long, but they seem to stretch out time and pack in so much. They are pure soulful rejuvenation!
Kym Clayton
When: 16 Oct
Where: Elder Hall
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. St Peter’s Cathedral. 11 Oct 2024
Sacred and Profane? In a Cathedral? What’s going on!?
Fear not! ‘Profane’ is an interesting word: it can be an antonym for sacred, or it can refer to irreverence. For the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s second concert in its Sacred & Profane mini-series, the profane refers to J.S. Bach’s sunny Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G, BWV 1048. There’s nothing irreverent about it at all – it’s simply not sacred music.
Scored for only three violins, three violas, three cellos, and harpsichord (as basso continuo), it is the shortest of the six Brandenburg Concertos and comes in at around ten minutes. What it lacks in duration, and in the size of the ensemble, it makes up in enthusiasm and energy. It is an explosion of pleasure, and ASO concert master Kate Suthers energetically leads the ensemble in a spirited performance. It struck this reviewer that the pace set in the first allegro movement was bordering on being too fast – as the melody is passed around the pulse seems to lose its acuity. Possibly the acoustic of the cathedral doesn’t smile kindly on small string ensembles playing at break-neck speed.
Haydn’s Symphony No.30 in C, Hob. 1/30 (Alleluia) uses a Gregorian Alleluia chant throughout, and sees the evening’s concert depart from the profane and place all feet squarely in the sacred. While conductor Anthony Hunt, who is Director of Music at St Peter’s Cathedral, spoke from the podium about the use of the word alleluia in various Christian religious traditions, additional musicians came on stage, including oboe, flute and horn which dominated the sound palette. In the second movement the flute is glorious, as is the horn in the third. Hunt nicely matched the pace and dynamics to the reverberance of the cathedral.
Mozart’s setting of the alleluia in his exquisite motet Exultate jubilate, K.165 is perhaps the best and most popular ever written, and the audience delighted in Jessica Dean’s performance. One never tires of hearing it. Dressed in a gorgeous gown resplendent in the colours of summer flowers, Dean took to the stage with a flourish and Hunt launched into the brisk opening with the enthusiasm of youth. The work is in four sections, and Dean was at her finest in the third (Tu virginum corona) where the pace is less frenetic, and she reaches ethereal vocal heights of gentleness and sweetness. Truly delightful and transporting. This is swept away with the mighty Alleluia! final section in which Dean, Hunt and the orchestra have so much unbridled fun. It sits well on Dean’s voice and the audience is sitting on the edge of joyous exhilaration throughout.
The concert ends with Duruflé’s Messe Cum jubilo, Op.11, a Mass ‘with rejoicing’ for baritone chorus, solo baritone, and orchestra. It is one of the few sacred works that is written for a male chorus and was written in 1966. Like many others in the audience (judging by the post-concert conversations as the audience left the venue), this reviewer had never heard this work until tonight, and it is a revelation. It is grounded in a plainchant, which permeates its five sections, and Hunt is in his element throughout. The vocal line frequently inhabits the upper end of the baritone range and neither the soloist Nathan Lay nor the St Peter’s Cathedral Choir ever sound strained. Indeed, the vocal tones are warm and rounded, and the at-times bombastic tutti orchestral accompaniment that is contrasted with moments of graceful, yet haunting woodwinds provides a choral experience that begs to be heard again.
This reviewer is doubtful that a recording of Duruflé’s Messe Cum jubilo could ever capture the majesty one experiences from a live performance in a venue such as St Peter’s Cathedral.
Kym Clayton
When: 11 Oct
Where: St Peter’s Cathedral
Bookings: Closed