Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Elder Hall. 2 Sep 2026
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Matinée Series is a complete joy, and none more so than the fourth concert in the series, aptly dubbed “Jubilation”. The program delivered three very different kinds of musical pleasure: Louise Farrenc’s Overture No. 1 in E minor, Op. 23, Mendelssohn’s gloriously tuneful Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, and Beethoven’s triumphant Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b. The concert began with Buckskin & Goldsmith’s Pudnanthi Padninthi, a musical Acknowledgement of Country, a performance that has now become de rigueur for the ASO.
Louise Farrenc (1804–1875) was a contemporary of both Mendelssohn and Beethoven, as well as many of the other major figures of the nineteenth-century Romantic era. Yet her music was largely ignored during her lifetime and still does not feature often on today’s concert stages. Her Overture No. 1 remains relatively obscure, although it has gained some modest popularity through modern recordings and the broader revival of interest in nineteenth-century women composers. Bravo to the ASO for programming it!
Under esteemed conductor Nicholas Braithwaite, the ASO gave the overture a spirited and committed performance. For this reviewer the music itself, however, remains somewhat directionless and colourless, perhaps because it is an independent concert overture rather than the prelude to an opera, play or larger dramatic work. It has plenty of Romantic flourishes, but not quite the dramatic backbone that gives Beethoven’s Leonore Overture its sense of purpose. Farrenc’s writing is by no means easy: its orchestral textures demand careful balance, and the players have to negotiate rapidly changing dynamics and ensemble detail without the music always providing a strong dramatic trajectory. Braithwaite and the ASO nevertheless blitzed through it with a performance faithful to its structure, with tempi and dynamics carefully judged and superbly executed. The brass, horns and woodwind were particularly impressive, producing a bright, confident sound and handling Farrenc’s often intricate writing with considerable polish.
The highlight of the concert was undoubtedly the Mendelssohn, and Tianyou Ma’s performance as soloist was breathtaking. Although born in China, Ma’s early musical training began at the Elder Conservatorium under Keith Crellin, and he has since established an international reputation. He performed the Concerto with style, assurance and a lovely sense of spontaneity. From the opening bars, his tone was clear and silken, while his rapid passagework seemed effortless. This is a deceptively demanding concerto: its fleet-fingered writing, sudden changes of register and relentless momentum leave little room for technical lapses, while its apparent lightness requires extraordinary control to prevent virtuosity from becoming mere display.
In the Andante second movement, Ma really came into his own. His phrasing was beautifully shaped, his dynamics finely graded, and his lyricism seemed to float above the audience in the packed Elder Hall. The movement’s long, singing lines can easily become overly sentimental, but Ma kept them poised and fresh, allowing the melody to breathe naturally. Braithwaite was an attentive partner, keeping the orchestral accompaniment transparent enough for the solo line to shine while maintaining the warmth and momentum of the music. However, the Allego first movement was perhaps a little rushed. The Allegretto final movement was performed with rapid-fire precision and verve, and Ma displayed solid technique and soaring musicality.
At the conclusion he received a standing ovation befitting a rock star, and took it all in his stride. This 26-year-old is already a virtuoso, and the world is his oyster. He and Braithwaite embraced warmly, a fittingly spontaneous end to a memorable performance.
Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3 brought the concert to a rousing close. Here the orchestra had music of an entirely different weight and purpose. The overture is effectively a compressed drama in itself, drawing on themes from the opera Fidelio and moving from the darkness of the opening to the blazing triumph of the final section. It is a formidable orchestral challenge, requiring control of enormous dynamic contrasts, precision in the famous trumpet call and the ability to sustain a long dramatic arc without losing tension. Braithwaite shaped the work with patience and authority, allowing the opening to brood before gradually releasing the music’s tremendous energy. The ASO responded magnificently, from the hushed strings and dark woodwind colours to the full-throated brass and the exhilarating final surge. If Farrenc’s overture sometimes seemed to be searching for a destination, Beethoven knew exactly where he was going.
The three major works made an appealingly varied trio. Farrenc’s overture is elegant, energetic and intriguing, but ultimately more exploratory than dramatic; Mendelssohn’s concerto is lighter on its feet, combining technical brilliance with irresistible melody and lyricism invention; and Beethoven’s Leonore No. 3 is the heavyweight of the program, music of profound dramatic purpose and architectural ambition. Farrenc gives us Romantic colour without quite the narrative drive of Beethoven, while Mendelssohn turns virtuosity into something sparkling and effortlessly tuneful. Together they made for a nicely balanced program: the rediscovered, the beloved and the monumental, all delivered with enough musical earworms to keep a delighted audience humming for days.
Kym Clayton
When: 2 Sep
Where: Elder Hall
Bookings: Closed
