Bramwell Tovey: conductor and piano
Deborah Humble: mezzo-soprano
Jonathan Lemalu: bass-baritone
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus
Jonthan Grieves-Smith: chorus-master
www.mso.com.au
Britten - The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Lambert - The Rio Grande
Walton - Belshazzar's Feast
Duration: 2 hours (including an interval of 20 minutes)
Through the good offices of a member of my choir who is also a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus, I was able to attend this concert recently.
The Melbourne Town Hall is one of Melbourne's beloved icons, as is its grand concert organ. There was seating on the ground floor as well as on the balconies and the orchestra and chorus were seated on the stage. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable, with a goodly amount of padding and good back support, so I did not experience my customary amount of squirming when having to sit still in an uncomfortable seat for a long period. My only complaint would be that the chairs were bolted together with an inadequate amount of space for moderately sized people to sit 'shoulder to shoulder', so a certain amount of squirming became inevitable to avoid personal space encroachment! The cardinal red livery of the attendants was spectacularly attractive, and you really felt as if you were attending an event of importance. The men of the orchestra were wearing tails and (mostly) shiny black patent leather shoes, and the ladies were dressed in black.
Once I read the concert program (another surprise - this was free of charge and also available through the MSO website), I realised that the program choices had quite cleverly been put together. All three of the composers were contemporaries and it appears that Lambert and Walton had friends and muses in common through the Sitwell family. The program notes are truly excellent and well worth reading.
Britten's piece is based around a theme from the music of Henry Purcell (which should be well-known to most choristers and church-goers). The opening with the full orchestra was almost visceral, and generated strong emotions within me. A very large orchestra was assembled on stage, including six double-basses, and it was a joy to see and hear in a three-dimensional space the way that the theme was passed from section to section and the differing timbres of the instruments. At one point you cn almost hear a hornpipe being played, and yes, the theme is the Hornpipe from a suite composed by Purcell for the play Abdelazar (but also taken up elsewhere). The work concludes with a fugue and a powerful climax involving the full orchestra. Tovey's conducting was very animated and demonstrative, and at one stage he did a Napoleonic impersonation with one hand tucked into his jacket!
I do not recall having heard the Lambert piece before, and it very much reminded me of a film score, and at one stage it was highly reminiscent of the introduction to John William's "Star Wars" theme, and you almost expected to see Darth Vader stride onto the stage! There are plenty of jazz and blues references, and the piano part was very ably played by Tovey alongside his conducting. There was surprisingly little work for the mezzo-soprano soloist. Deborah Humble looked resplendent in a full-length gold lame gown and acquitted herself well vocally.
The highlight of the concert was Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast". The chorus was well-drilled with clear enunciation but was drowned out at times by the orchestra. Jonathan Lemalu was impressive, with a powerful voice and presence, and you could actually physically feel the vibrations from his voice. Tovey's conducting was frequently frenetic, and it did appear (from behind) to be difficult to follow his beat, but my choir colleague later explained that he adopts a technique of conducting by entry and line rather than globally. In any event, the orchestra and choir had it all worked out and combined to produce an excellent synergistic result. The string playing was tightly coordinated, both visually and aurally. The dramatic climax involved brass players on both balconies and the organist bringing the full power of the organ to bear on the final chord, after patiently waiting for what must have seemed like an eternity!
The enthusiastic applause of the audience went on for quite some time, reflecting the quality of the performances that had been delivered.
It was a marvellous concert, and I came away feeling both energised and entertained in the best possible way. There is no doubt that listening to a recording is no substitute for hearing and seeing an orchestra and chorus 'in the flesh', and I felt privileged to be there. If all the MSO's other offerings are of an equally high standard then Melbourne has a lot to be proud of.
Should we support live music at all levels? Absolutely! I love being a performer myself and it always gives you a 'warm inner glow' to have an appreciative audience after you know that you have given your best. Many academic papers have been written on the benefits of choral singing for good health (including both the immune system and mentally) and on the 'Mozart effect' for improving performance. Ironically as a performer I can find it hard to sit and listen to others as I would rather be 'doing', but with this concert it was a pleasure to sit transfixed and enjoy a sublime experience.
The Friday night concert was recorded and is available for streaming on the MSO website and will be broadcast on ABC Classic FM.
The Melbourne Town Hall is one of Melbourne's beloved icons, as is its grand concert organ. There was seating on the ground floor as well as on the balconies and the orchestra and chorus were seated on the stage. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable, with a goodly amount of padding and good back support, so I did not experience my customary amount of squirming when having to sit still in an uncomfortable seat for a long period. My only complaint would be that the chairs were bolted together with an inadequate amount of space for moderately sized people to sit 'shoulder to shoulder', so a certain amount of squirming became inevitable to avoid personal space encroachment! The cardinal red livery of the attendants was spectacularly attractive, and you really felt as if you were attending an event of importance. The men of the orchestra were wearing tails and (mostly) shiny black patent leather shoes, and the ladies were dressed in black.
Once I read the concert program (another surprise - this was free of charge and also available through the MSO website), I realised that the program choices had quite cleverly been put together. All three of the composers were contemporaries and it appears that Lambert and Walton had friends and muses in common through the Sitwell family. The program notes are truly excellent and well worth reading.
Britten's piece is based around a theme from the music of Henry Purcell (which should be well-known to most choristers and church-goers). The opening with the full orchestra was almost visceral, and generated strong emotions within me. A very large orchestra was assembled on stage, including six double-basses, and it was a joy to see and hear in a three-dimensional space the way that the theme was passed from section to section and the differing timbres of the instruments. At one point you cn almost hear a hornpipe being played, and yes, the theme is the Hornpipe from a suite composed by Purcell for the play Abdelazar (but also taken up elsewhere). The work concludes with a fugue and a powerful climax involving the full orchestra. Tovey's conducting was very animated and demonstrative, and at one stage he did a Napoleonic impersonation with one hand tucked into his jacket!
I do not recall having heard the Lambert piece before, and it very much reminded me of a film score, and at one stage it was highly reminiscent of the introduction to John William's "Star Wars" theme, and you almost expected to see Darth Vader stride onto the stage! There are plenty of jazz and blues references, and the piano part was very ably played by Tovey alongside his conducting. There was surprisingly little work for the mezzo-soprano soloist. Deborah Humble looked resplendent in a full-length gold lame gown and acquitted herself well vocally.
The highlight of the concert was Walton's "Belshazzar's Feast". The chorus was well-drilled with clear enunciation but was drowned out at times by the orchestra. Jonathan Lemalu was impressive, with a powerful voice and presence, and you could actually physically feel the vibrations from his voice. Tovey's conducting was frequently frenetic, and it did appear (from behind) to be difficult to follow his beat, but my choir colleague later explained that he adopts a technique of conducting by entry and line rather than globally. In any event, the orchestra and choir had it all worked out and combined to produce an excellent synergistic result. The string playing was tightly coordinated, both visually and aurally. The dramatic climax involved brass players on both balconies and the organist bringing the full power of the organ to bear on the final chord, after patiently waiting for what must have seemed like an eternity!
The enthusiastic applause of the audience went on for quite some time, reflecting the quality of the performances that had been delivered.
It was a marvellous concert, and I came away feeling both energised and entertained in the best possible way. There is no doubt that listening to a recording is no substitute for hearing and seeing an orchestra and chorus 'in the flesh', and I felt privileged to be there. If all the MSO's other offerings are of an equally high standard then Melbourne has a lot to be proud of.
Should we support live music at all levels? Absolutely! I love being a performer myself and it always gives you a 'warm inner glow' to have an appreciative audience after you know that you have given your best. Many academic papers have been written on the benefits of choral singing for good health (including both the immune system and mentally) and on the 'Mozart effect' for improving performance. Ironically as a performer I can find it hard to sit and listen to others as I would rather be 'doing', but with this concert it was a pleasure to sit transfixed and enjoy a sublime experience.
The Friday night concert was recorded and is available for streaming on the MSO website and will be broadcast on ABC Classic FM.
Not something you see every day on the way home on the train - a life-size teddy bear!
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