FRANZ MEETS WOLFGANG
Review of August 2024 Concert
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On a squally Auckland Winters Day, the brave who ventured out were rewarded at St Matthew’s in the City, where, to a full house, St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, along with soloist Sylvia Jiang & conductor Euan Safey, transported us on a journey starting in the 1950’s NZ, with the Dorothy Freed Suite for String Orchestra.
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Dorothy Freed is not a well- known or often played NZ composer, but she studied under composer Douglas Lilburn, at Victoria University, Wellington in the 1950’s, who is very well known to most NZ audiences. She wrote a number of works for voice & piano, choir, piano solo, and smaller instrumental groups including this Suite for string orchestra. Reflecting the style of Lilburn, this piece opens with an ostinato in the cellos, the melody in the violas. Rhythmically charged repetitive phrases along with lyrical modulations offer different colour and mood. Technically challenging music, the orchestra benefited from the clear baton of Euan Safey.
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Following on in the first half, the orchestra had the privilege of being joined by Sylvia Jiang as soloist in Mozart’s Piano Concerto no 25 in C. This was one of the longest of Mozart’s concertos and is considered one of his greatest.
Sylvia gave a commanding performance entering the Allegro Maestoso with bell-like clarity, cutting through the rich thematic material & driving repetitive rhythm of the orchestra. Taking the orchestra and the audience on her journey, we enjoyed tremendous dynamic graduation, the pairing of brass and woodwind and more “Romantic” stylistic features. The strings managed to stay under the piano here allowing sensitive woodwind themes to be brought out. The orchestra appeared to be swept along by the brilliance of Sylvia’s expression, making the entries look effortless and organic.
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The second movement Andante provided a foil to the first movement in tempo and mood, but with an elegant rapport between piano orchestra and conductor, evident. Sensitive and lyrical wind playing mimicked the piano line.
Finally, the Allegretto Rondo swept us along with dance like melody, crystal clear scale passages and high precision articulation -once more, mimicked in the strings. Woodwind and brass play an important role here as the movement gathers momentum to the triumphant end.
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After rapturous applause, Sylvia returned to the piano to give us an encore of Gershwin’s Prelude No 1 (Of 3). A great contrast after the Mozart, she captured the spirit of Gershwin and the strong influence of jazz. With the driving rhythms Sylvia gave us a thrilling demonstration of her skill and agility.
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Following the interval, we returned to Schubert’s 5th Symphony very much in the style of Mozart.
Aged 19, Schubert gave us sweet lyrical melodies and light instrumentation. Balanced between simplicity and sophistication are compelling rhythms, and harmonies – nothing too way out or offensive! The orchestra captured this age of elegance rounding off a very fine concert.
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Review by Stephanie Van Leuven