There seems to be a school of English (or UK based) pianists
who have earned their reputation for assured thoughtfulness rather than
heart-on-sleeve showiness. Stephen Hough and Paul Lewis are two who are regular
performers on Australian shores. Piers Lane is another and moments of his
performance with the WA Symphony Orchestra on Friday had an almost abstract
clinical accuracy. But it was an intellectualism that traversed emotional
extremes.
The 24 variations in Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a theme of
Paganini gave every opportunity to savour Lane’s exceptional tonal palette. A
Debussian haze of spread chords and velvet arpeggios contrasted with glittering
cadenzas and muscular octaves. Conductor Paul Daniel directed with precision
and the teamwork between soloist and orchestra was impressive. At times the piano
sound was embedded in the orchestra then moments later it would sparkle in the
foreground or duet poetically with the woodwind. In the 18th variation
Lane teased the ears by stretching the famed melody ahead and behind the left
hand accompaniment with romantic yearning. The support from low brass and
strings added rich power.
Lane took the audience to a deeper place with Rachmaninov’s
Prelude in D, an encore which became the soul of the program. In Lane’s hands
the simple melody intensified into a stern climax then melted in a tender conclusion
where audience, orchestra – nursing instruments - and soloist lingered together
in a moment of profound introspection.
Excerpts from Wagner’s Tannhauser and Dvorak’s Symphony No 7
completed the program. The lack of blend in the high strings and untidy attack –
not helped by concertmaster Giulio Plotino over-anticipating entries – marred Daniel’s
attempts at musical architecture. But the horn section was impressive in both and
the weighty emphasis of low strings and brass produced some throbbing romantic
moments.
This review copyright The West Australian newspaper 2013.
Limelight magazine have done a blind test of Australian orchestras. Fifteen critics and musicians were sent unlabelled recordings of performances during 2012 and the results were both predictable and surprising.
Sydney Symphony Orchestra came in first, which was as it should be.
Second place went to Adelaide, which is surprising but pleasing as the orchestra is brave in its programming and deserves more recognition than it gets.
Queensland Symphony came next which means they must have improved since I heard them last, although that was years ago.
The shock was Melbourne Symphony Orchestra coming in at fourth place - this will put noses out of joint! According to judges it was 'consistently placed in the bottom half of the ranking'.
Sadly WASO came second last; it seems that being the richest orchestra doesn't make it the greatest!
Tasmania trailed in last position.
This was my first chance to hear the Australian String Quartet since the change-over of first violin and viola. Hearing the dramatic flair and maturity of the new combination made me realise how unadventurous the previous line-up were. Below is my review published in the West Australian newspaper on Wednesday.
It is probably too early to expect the current Australian String
Quartet line-up to have established their ‘sound’. The group has welcomed a new
viola and first violin in the past twelve months and suffered a further shake
up to their first program for the year with injured cellist Rachel Johnston
withdrawing at the last minute. Despite this the quartet, with replacement
cellist Michelle Wood, seemed comfortably gelled when they reached Perth, the
final stop in the national tour. A combination of youthful zealousness and
discerning musical interpretation helped create vivid sound worlds from the three
works on the program.
Mozart’s String Quartet in D major K 499 was delivered with poise,
shaped by delicate phrase endings and melodic inflection. Kristian Winther led
from first violin with shining sound and fluid bowing, supported with astute precision by Anne Horton on second violin and
Stephen King on viola. Michelle Wood’s self-effacing cello contributions meant
the ensemble balance was a little top-heavy at times.
The gloves were off for Louis Andriessen’s Charlie Parker tribute
Facing Death. (check out the version on Youtube, much slower and less exciting.) The quartet took a fast, abrasive approach to the jazz riffs with
a swinging be-bop drive (despite the absence of a rhythm section). Winther and
King in particular played with idiomatic jazz groove. Andriessen’s heavy-handed
jazz mannerisms become relentless around the twelve minute mark and despite the
quartet’s virtuosic pace the piece seemed over-long.
The dramatic flair in Brahms’ Quartet in A minor Op 51 No 2
was appropriately understated and made a sharp contrast. The group made the
most of Brahms’ ever-changing textures and each meandering phrase was an
intriguing journey. The gentle transparency of the andante movement and the
ghostly menuet were highlights.
The quartet continues to impress, even with last-minute changes.
Let’s hope it makes the same good impression on the audience, which is dropping
in subscription numbers and could do with an injection of youthful energy.
This review copyright The West Australian newspaper 2013.
Orla Boylan and her singing teacher sat laughing in disbelief
in the La Scala opera house waiting room. It is 1995 and the Irish cell biologist
had just won Milan’s prestigious ASLICO singing competition.
“I had never imagined a career as a singer,” the down to
earth diva say\\SLs. “It was only a hobby that suddenly became more serious. I’m
only just now believing it possible.”
Now in her forties, Boylan is relaxing in front of the fire
enjoying a moment at home in Skerrie, north of Dublin. Despite her lack of
institutional training as a singer (her university degree is in science) Boylan
has achieved impressive results as a lyric soprano and is now moving into the
vocal fach of a dramatic soprano. Her hectic freelance schedule this year
involves reprising Senta (The Flying Dutchman) in various corners of the globe
including Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Russia and Taiwan. This week she is in
Perth for a lieder recital and orchestral performance with the WA Symphony
Orchestra.
Borlan’s first visit to Perth was for La Boheme with WA
Opera in 2002 and she returned as Procne in Love of the Nightingale (which won
her a Helpmann Award), soloist in Britten’s War Requiem, Ellen in Peter Grimes and
Chrysothemis in Elektra. Borlan’s penchant for hefty roles and dark subject
matters comes as a surprise given her bubbly personality.
“I like the dark characters,” she admits. “It is about
expressing things everyone has inside but you don’t usually get to show. It’s
quite cathartic.”
Boylan will perform in a more intimate setting when she
launches WASO’s new international recital series at the Government House
Ballroom on Monday. The recital will give Perth audiences a chance to see principal
conductor Paul Daniel performing on piano, an instrument he studied parallel
with conducting at the Guildhall School of Music. Boylan and Daniel often worked
together during Daniel’s tenure at the English National Opera but this is their
first time together in recital. The repertoire includes songs by Sibelius,
Barber, Richard Strauss, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder and a scene from
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin.
The Masters Series orchestral concert this weekend will
feature Boylan singing Strauss’ Four Last Songs, pieces she has been singing
since she was 23.
“I heard the Four Last Songs on CD and took the music to my
singing teacher and said ‘I want to learn this’. How precocious wanting to sing
Strauss in my early twenties! But that was how I learned the repertoire, by
finding recordings I liked.”
Her first performance of the songs with orchestra was in 1995 for Ireland’s VeronicaDunne Singing Competition with Joan Sutherland as one of the judges. Boylan won
the competition and afterwards met Sutherland.
“She was this major megastar talking to me like she was my
grandmother. She said, ‘Marvellous breath control, how do you manage it?’ and I
said, ‘You’re asking me?’”
Boylan has since performed the songs with La Verdi under
Xian Zhang, the Sinfonieorchester St Gallen under Jiri Kout and the Halle Orchestra
under Sir Mark Elder.
“It is beautiful music to sing, like floating on honey. The
orchestra is like supportive air beneath, keeping you buoyant. I am so grateful
to Richard Strauss for writing so beautifully for voice and I’m so grateful to
be a soprano.”
Boylan’s gradual transition into the dramatic repertoire of
Wagner and Strauss has met with critical acclaim. The Times reported a “radiance
and warmth in Strauss’ lines that is matched by tender insight in the
word-painting”.
Boylan says the repertoire is a constant challenge. “It
takes all my strength, energy and focus. It is a challenge to technique and to
stamina; you are singing with your entire body and there is no settling for
mediocrity.”
“It’s important for the festival to broker opportunities for
people,” says Chris van Tuinen, “that’s what we are here for.” The program manager
for the festival’s classical music program has coordinated the combination of
the WA Symphony Orchestra and the WA Youth Orchestra into a massive
conglomerate orchestra to perform Bartok’s opera Duke Bluebeard’s Castle and
ballet suite The Wooden Prince.
The experience for the youth orchestra members will be
immeasurable and Tuinen is quietly proud of his achievement.
“Bluebeard is huge, it requires quintuple winds with 115
players on stage. And no one in Perth has done The Wooden Prince before. Bartok
was such a unique composer, perhaps the only one who was able to synthesise the
different approaches of the twentieth century.”
The opera and ballet double bill will be presented as a
concert performance at the Perth Concert Hall. To manage the undertaking van
Tuinen has drawn on contacts from his time as a repetiteur with Opera
Australia. English conductor Sir Richard Armstrong, a regular visitor to the
east coast since 1985, will make his Perth debut conducting the combined
orchestra.
“Richard is just a kid from Leicester who played piano to
keep warm and then ended up at the Royal Opera as a repetiteur under Solti,” van
Tuinen says. “I love that he’s tough as nails but quietly spoken. He manages
the production side of things so well. I couldn’t think of anyone better to do
it.”
The seventy year old Armstrong, who has directed both the Welsh and Scottish
Opera companies, is delighted to be coming to Perth to conduct the rarely heard
repertoire.
“Both
scores have an enormous palette of colour. Bartok used the biggest orchestras
of his composing life in these pieces. I have never had the opportunity to
experience The Wooden Prince live in the theatre, it is so rarely performed
still. Perth audiences are so lucky to have this opportunity.”
TheWooden Prince Suite (1914-16) is Bartok’s condensed version of his original ballet,
which was a simple fairy tale with a moderately happy ending. In contrast DukeBluebeard (1911) is a deep psychological study showing influences from Strauss,
Wagner and Debussy.
Armstrong
says he has worked with youth orchestras before and will treat the young
players exactly as he would those of greater experience.
“My job
is to encourage the best from everybody's potential. I am most impressed that
so many players from the WA Youth Orchestra get to perform works such as these
with the WASO...it is the most inspirational way to learn.”
The orchestra will be joined by baritone PeterColeman-Wright singing Duke Bluebeard and soprano Lisa Gasteen as his headstrong
wife Judith. Gasteen is returning to the stage after several years break due to
injury. The renowned dramatic soprano is based in Queensland where she has
established a national opera school. She seldom performs since a nerve injury
in her neck in 2008. Performing Bluebeard marks her return to a dramatic role
in front of a large orchestra.
Van Tuinen says he lured her to Perth by offering an
alternative to the Wagnerian roles she had been singing.
“I knew Lisa was singing again and that she didn’t want to
get back into the cycle of endlessly doing the same eight roles.”
For the technically and dramatically complex role of Judith Gasteen
will have to draw on the skills that made her one of the world’s most sought
after Brunnhilde’s. The opera is sung in Hungarian and is a psychoanalysis of
the grisly Bluebeard fairytale.
Van Tuinen has gathered the forces capable of impressive dramatic commitment.
Now audiences must prepare for the impact.
"I believe music is one of humanity’s greatest discoveries,”
says David Harrington.”There is something that happens when you put two
violins, a viola and cello together that can add up to so many dimensions of
human experience.”
The founding member of the Kronos Quartet is talking about
the string quartet sound which has enthralled him since he first heard the late
Beethoven quartets as a twelve year old.
“I put on a record of the Eb Opus 120 and fell in love with
the sound of those Eb major chords. I wanted to make that sound. And it’s been
the same thing ever since.”
The exploration of the string quartet sound has consumed
Harrington, now 64, for his entire career. It was the driving force behind the
formation of the Kronos Quartet which over the past forty years has become one
of the most famous new music ensembles in the world.
Harrington formed the group after hearing George Crumb’s
Vietnam War elegy Black Angels. “I was 23 and searching for a way to express
myself after the confusion of the Vietnam War. I heard Black Angels on the
radio and there was no question; I had found what I was going to do and how I
was going to do it.”
Harrington grabbed some friends – John Sherba and Hank Dutt
are still in the ensemble, cellist Jeffrey Zeigler joined in 2005 – and formed
a quartet dedicated to new music.
“It was impossible to do in American society at the time.
Musicians are not something society cares much about. But I decided the only
way was to totally jump in. It’s policy I’ve stuck to ever since.”
Leaping in the deep end has paid off. The Kronos Quartet now
has a reputation that spans the globe with a hectic touring schedule supported
by nine administrative staff at their San Francisco base. The Grammy-award
winning ensemble has commissioned over 750 works from artists as diverse as
Philip Glass, Nelly Furtardo, Nine Inch Nails, John Zorn, Astor Piazolla and
Tom Waits.
One of Harrington’s favourites was a quirky piece by Australian
composer John Rose.
“I learned from John Rose that barbed wire fences can be
musical. I wanted our audiences to know that musicians can turn these objects
of confinement into music. So we brought John’s fences to America and performed
his Music for Four Fences on them. It was totally sane but it looked quite
wierd on the surface.”
Harrington describes the group as an activist ensemble.
“We are attempting to rethink the role of music and
instruments, to expand the frame of reference. I want our work to challenge
earlier ideas about the function of the string quartet.”
On a recent trip to Copenhagen they premiered Pelle
Gudmundsen-Holmgreen’s Theatre of Voices which is based on Pachelbel’s Canon.
“The piece starts out as variations on Pachelbel and then
goes totally berserk. It is absolutely thrilling. Many people know that melody
yet somehow this piece makes you feel like you’re hearing it for the first
time. It is really fun and beautiful; the musical past coming alive in a new
way.”
The very latest commission involves American poet/composer
Laurie Anderson and will be premiered with the composer first in America then
in Perth in February. The piece (as yet untitled) is a sequence of songs featuring
elaborate visual and electronic effects. The quartet will also perform a
concert featuring Steve Reich’s WTC 9/11 – memories of September 11 – pitched
against folk-inspired works.
“A lot of what the audience will hear will be new and I hope
they won’t feel confined by the traditional definition of the string quartet. I
hope they will be able to enjoy exploring and learning something new – I’ve
never met somebody who doesn’t!”
After forty years of avant-garde music is Harrington ever
tempted to sit down and play Beethoven?
"The idea of going back never occurs to me. The past and
present are actually working together all the time, there’s no real divide. I
prefer to spend my life thinking about the next great piece that needs to be
made.”
In 2011 the Kronos quartet’s contribution to music was
recognised with the Avery Fisher Music Prize and the Polar Music Prize, two of
the most prestigious awards given to musicians. But Harrington says the real
reward has been along the way.
“I’ve had so much fun. The work we’re a part of is so
gripping, I can put all my imagination into this. The awards were the frosting
on a cake that already tastes great.”
