The Moldau – My Homeland. Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Town Hall. 29 Aug 2014
This concert, the ASO’s seventh in their 2014 Masters Series for 2014, was deeply satisfying and immensely enjoyable for three reasons: appealing programming, outstanding conducting, and prodigiously talented youth.
The programming was excellent and comprised three superb examples of nationalistic composition. Smetana’s ‘Ma vlast: Vltava’ (The Moldau) is a full-on crowd pleaser and everyone ‘knows’ it. Its sweeping melodies stir something deep within and it is exalted by Czechs as something that captures the essence of their country. Guest conductor Christopher Seaman handled the shifting dynamics with great care and ensured that when the orchestra played fortissimo key instruments still shone through decisively. His style was almost understated with no exuberant and over embellished gestures, but his control is palpable.
Richard Strauss’s ‘Tod und Verklärung’ (Death and Transfiguration), Op 24, is a broody and complex work that can be considered a herald of post-romantic German music. I adore it and get lost in its multifaceted expressions of joy, pain, hope and giving over to the unknowable, which are all indicated by the highlighting of various instruments – including harp, viola and tuba - as they state, restate and takeover various melodic fragments. Again Seaman extracted the full dynamic range from the orchestra but the music never lost its texture or dissolved into a sonic blur. There was always clarity.
Sibelius’s ‘Karelia Suite’, Op 11, is a sumptuously melodic piece that is revered by the Finnish people, and like ‘Ma vlast’ stirs passions of patriotism. Seaman was in his element with this piece – his enjoyment of its inherent joie de vivre was clear for all to see. The third movement (alla marcia) is the one that people quietly hum to themselves as they leave at the conclusion of a concert but Seaman extracted something additional from the first (intermezzo) that wasn’t too far from being hummed as well! Again, his masterful control of the dynamical shading allowed the colour of Sibelius’s superb orchestration to shine through.
As satisfying as the Smetana, Strauss and Sibelius were, the highlight of the evening no doubt was sixteen-year old Grace Clifford’s performance of Beethoven’s mighty and ever popular Violin Concerto. It is a challenging composition and requires technical skill and musicianship, but it is not ‘flashy’. It possesses elegance and simplicity in its structure, and is loved and well known by countless concertgoers who are alert to anything that sounds too ‘different’. Grace is the very recently crowned 2014 ABC Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year, and she served up a performance that had a number of differences to excite and stir the audience. She took the work at a measured tempo with clearly articulated phrasing that allowed her to expose the intricacy of the score. In later years, when her strength has fully developed, she might choose to take parts of the piece at greater speed but this can also blur the full impact and sharp beauty of the double stopping required by the score. Beethoven did not write any cadenzas for the concerto, and Clifford chose to play the well-known ones written by famed violinist Fritz Kreisler.
Grace Clifford demonstrated composure, nascent flair, and a clear understanding of the score. The audience loved her and deserved her three curtain calls and striking spray of Tynte flowers.
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: Adelaide Town Hall
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide International Guitar Festival. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 18 July 2014
Pepe Romero and Yamandú Costa make for a stunning but contrasting double bill. One alone sits you back and leaves you with a gently drawn smile over your awe-struck face, but two is almost too much and leaves you shaking your head in disbelief. Their styles are different – one appears casual, almost offhand, while the other exudes wisdom and the calmness of years. One is flamboyant, the other is almost reserved. But, in their hands the guitar is a majestic concert instrument that demands and deserves as much attention as any other mainstream instrument.
The thing about the guitar is that it can easily be engulfed by a backing ensemble. By itself, and in the hands of a maestro, it can be easily heard even to the back row of the cavernous Festival Theatre, but with a sizeable orchestra it can become lost. That is unless it is expertly amplified (not just made louder) and the music suits the combination of guitar and orchestra. This was precisely the case with Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. The composition is a masterpiece that allows the virtuosity of the soloist to be demonstrated and the orchestration is such that it never overshadows the guitar. Romero’s reading was exceptional. He was a picture of studied concentration but in the more lyrical and relaxed sections of the concerto he looked intently at the audience and gently smiled on occasion. The Adelaide Art Orchestra under Brett Kelly were finely balanced during the concerto, and seemed more at home than with the more free-flowing but less memorable compositions played by Costa in the first half. Perhaps I’m showing my own personal taste?
Costa’s solo sets were adored by the audience, particularly for his showy dexterity and almost unrestrained joy, and the audience went to the interval wanting more. On the other hand, Romero’s solos were just sublime. They featured some of the mainstays of the repertoire, including Asturias, Malagueña and Recuerdos de la Alhambra. The Aranjuez was wonderful, but Romero’s solos were spell-binding and one knew one was in the presence of guitar royalty.
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide International Guitar Festival. Festival Theatre. 17 Jul 2014
The Adelaide International Guitar Festival is upon us once again, celebrating its fifth year running and what better way to open proceedings than with a performance that harks back to the very origins of guitar music in the west.
The guitar (whose name is derived from the Spanish guitarra) was a popular instrument in Spain throughout history, and was brought to Iberia by the Moors and Arabs during their occupation. As a result the instrument, and the Middle Eastern musical influence, characterized Spanish folk music through history. By the 1700s a flamboyant style, with remnants of Middle Eastern influence coupled with Spanish flair, began to be called flamenco and it’s this music and the associated dance that we know and love today. Thus, a flamenco extravaganza is a perfect way to open a festival dedicated to las guitarras!
Opening with Adelaide flamenco troupe Flamenco Areti, temperatures rose in the Festival Theatre resembling the Andalusian summer despite plummeting temperatures and rain outside. Sporting two guitarists, an amazing vocalist reaching all the highs and lows of Arabesque flamenco singing, and a troupe of colourful dancers, the Adelaide Guitar Festival was off to a fine start.
The music weaved its intricate path through the theatre, with gentle melodies and structures contrasted with the abrupt staccato strumming style. The dancers complemented things perfectly, artfully and gracefully flashing colour across the stage and punctuating it with plenty of foot stomps. With a single male dancer and six females, there was balance and beauty a plenty, all delivered with a perfect soundtrack.
After a short break, it was time to welcome José Antonio Rodríguez and his band to the stage. There was definitely a change in pace as we welcomed percussion to the stage, and this time the guitar took centre. There two guitarists unaccompanied by a singer really made the music the primary focus and as José demonstrated in the first few bars he had plenty of talent to back things up!
Flamenco styles were the primary showcase, but there was a lot more to the music on offer, with gypsy and folkloric influences coming in throughout. The guitar playing was so strong that the lack of vocals took nothing away from the performance. José’s tone was brilliant, and he varied things up throughout to accentuate different aspects of his playing; his technique was faultless. He played a wide ranging set of tunes, taking the audience on a ride through the Andalusian heartland, and it didn’t even matter that he spoke very little English (mind you, as a Spanish speaker, no es el problema para me!).
The percussion was the perfect accompaniment, incorporating the traditional cajon, as well as less traditional djembe and cymbals, and the male dancer from Flamenco Areti even joined the trio on stage for a few numbers.
Sadly, things came towards a close, but after a massive standing ovation, José returned to his chair for a few more tunes, including a spectacular closer where he was joined by his accompanying guitarist and percussionist… all playing the same guitar! What a finish, and what a spectacular show! Me gusta la guitarra y me gusta flamenco mucho! Ole!
Luke Balzan
When: Closed
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed
Short Black Opera Company. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 3 July 2014
Billed as Australia’s first indigenous opera, ‘Pecan Summer’ is essentially about the dispossession of indigenous Australians of their land, and the stolen generation. Written by the celebrated Deborah Cheetham, a classically trained and talented indigenous singer, it also touches on other important issues including racial vilification and the 2008 national Apology to Australia's indigenous peoples. There is also a subtle reference to the recognition of indigenous servicemen.
The plot is historically based and deals with the Yorta Yorta people who lived on Cummeragunja Station, an Aboriginal reserve established in 1881 in NSW on the Murray River. But in the time honoured tradition of interfering in the affairs of indigenous Australians, management of the station was taken over by the white man and conditions greatly deteriorated. This culminated in many residents leaving the reserve in protest and the so-called ‘Cummeragunja walk-off’ took place. Cummeragunja has produced some notable individuals, including Sir Douglas Nicholls who briefly served as the Governor of South Australia from 1976-77. Deborah Cheetham is also Yorta Yorta and her own grandparents were part of the walk-off.
The main plot focuses on the walk-off and the impact it had on the lives of those involved, particularly Ella (played by Deborah Cheetham), her husband James (Tiriki Onus), and her two children Jimmy (Eddie Bryant) and Alice (Jessica Hitchcock). We witness their maltreatment by the white overseers, and their continued abuses in their dispossession, which culminates in the forced and unwarranted ‘adoption’ – theft? – of Alice by a ‘well meaning’ white Minister (Jonathon Welch) and his wife (Rosamund Illing).
These events of the late 1930s – early 1940s are sandwiched between events of modern times. After a prelude that depicts the aboriginal myth of the creation of the River Murray, which firmly announces the indigenous milieu of the opera, the opera begins in 2006 and we witness Alice as an old woman being harassed by some white youths. Then commences the extended flashback to the time of the walk-off, and the opera concludes by returning to 2008 with a large gathering listening to a live broadcast of Prime Minister Rudd’s national Apology. The gathering includes old Alice and her daughter, but they do not know of each other’s presence – they don’t really know each other at all, for the daughter was a member of the stolen generation.
This final sad moment of the plot plunges the audience into emotional silence, before the heart felt applause erupts.
‘Pecan Summer’ traverses a lot of territory, and this is perhaps its major weakness, and like the curate’s egg it has good parts and not-so-good parts. Some moments are quite sublime – such as the affecting ending – but these are contrasted with others that are somewhat less pleasing. The action does not flow smoothly, and the bending of the time sequence is not entirely self evident. This may be a result of the minimalist scenic design, insufficient dramatic content or under-developed entr’acte music bridging, which can help to more firmly announce where in time and space the action is situated.
It is a modern opera, and at times it has all the hallmarks that one associates with opera. The scene in the church where we are first introduced to the Minister and his wife is archetypal opera, and includes wonderful ensemble singing and features the superb voices of Jonathon Welch and Rosamund Illing. From that point on the opera started to truly establish itself, but many previous scenes were uneven and were marred by an enthusiastic orchestra that over-powered less mature voices. Jessica Well’s orchestration of Cheetham’s eclectic score did not always suit the tessitura of some of the singers, and frequently the beginning phrases of arias were lost. Cheetham herself was masterful, and her performance of ‘Ella’s Lullaby’ was as heart rending as it was exquisite.
In her programme notes Cheetham states “It is an epic tale. One deserving of an opera.” She is right. There are many truths that need to be exposed about the history of indigenous Australians, and they need to be repeated, for there are too many who conveniently forget. Even today we have a Prime Minister who makes clumsy statements that devalue indigenous history.
‘Pecan Summer’ is a labour of love and is worthy of further development and refinement. It has been a vehicle to give a different voice to indigenous artists, and in that it has been most successful. The large opening night audience was enthusiastic in its reception.
Kym Clayton
When: 3 to 5 Jul
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Adelaide Festival Theatre. 27 June 2014
For those who like their music shaken not stirred the Adelaide Festival Theatre was the place to be over the weekend. It takes a rather special event to fill the Festival Theatre and empty seats were far and few between for the ASO’s homage to all things double-o-seven. There’s no doubt about it – the James Bond franchise continues to be a remarkable phenomenon with no sign of letting up.
To date there have been twenty-three Bond films and all but one of them (“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”) features a theme song that has been written by a songwriter/composer luminary and sung by a pop-icon of the day. The ASO together with vocalists Debora Krizak and Blake Bowden performed them all, along with some musical suites, and the bumper audience lapped it up and would have gladly traded their ‘Vesper’ cocktails for a few more encores!
There is a risk that such events remain just concerts, but with a little imagination and the right direction they can be so much more, and that is exactly what the ASO achieved. Conductor/ Presenter Guy Noble was the perfect choice to lead the event. His patter was oh-so-amusing, and his impersonation of super villain Ernst Blofeld, complete with trademark white fluffy cat, was …. gold! With tongue firmly in cheek, Noble quipped that many other notable villains have favoured such cats as pets, including dictators Bashar Al-Assad and Saddam Hussein, and Bronwyn Bishop! The programme doesn’t credit who directed/ stage-managed the show – maybe it just happened – but the humour, the superb casino-esque lighting, the choreographed movement of the vocalists on and off the stage and their interaction with audience members all added to a glitzy event that had all the hallmarks of a gala performance.
But what about the music? The thing about a symphony orchestra playing popular songs is that they first need to be arranged for full orchestra. This demands skill on behalf of the arranger and of the conductor who then needs to interpret the arrangement. All but two of the twenty-eight arrangements were credited to Coleman and Forgie, and several of them presented the soloists with challenges. Particularly in the first half of the programme, Bowden occasionally struggled to pitch correctly to the accompaniment but his well-crafted on-stage persona and strong tenor voice (almost too strong and dramatic at times) allowed him to confidently present each song. His performance of ‘From Russia with Love’ almost channelled Matt Monro. Krizak fared better with the arrangements and did particularly well with ‘Diamonds are Forever’ and especially ‘Skyfall’ (arranged by Nic Raine). Her seductive antics with a gentleman from the audience whom she brought up on stage were superb, and he was the envy of every other man in the auditorium!
Concerts such as these are wonderful eye-opening and fun opportunities for all to experience the spectacle of a symphony orchestra in full flight. Later in the season the ASO will be presenting
‘Pixar in Concert’, a multi-media show for the young and young-at-heart to enjoy. Don’t miss that one!
Kym Clayton
When: Closed
Where: Festival Theatre
Bookings: Closed