The Girl with the Golden Flute (Australian Chamber Orchestra)

HANDEL Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 7 / VASKS Vox Amoris/ SEREBRIER Flute Concerto / VINE Pipe Dreams / TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings

The two greatest inhibiting factors a cultural critic has to deal with are expectation and exaltation. The first only brings an easy review to fruition when it is failed, and the second is difficult to write without seeming unnecessarily extravagant with language. The truth is, I have a certain bias towards the Australian Chamber Orchestra, but it is not what you think. I don’t have any real personal connection to its members, nor to its repertoire. I am not a long lost cousin of Richard Tognetti and his limbic elasticity. In its entirety, my bias has been conceived by a personal reputation they have built with me by simply being stunning to watch and listen to. But there we find the problem. Expectation and Exaltation, in equal doses, waiting in the wings as it were. Common sense says to avoid both, but the nature of quality performance wills me to include them and so I must.

As I entered the Sydney Opera House, I had a thought which often struck me in the historical venue. It is hard not to expect something majestic in such a large, inviting space. Honestly, I have seen some average performances in the space, and some marvellous ones, but this history seems to elude me as I take in the space. Yes, something majestic must occur. But this again, is expectation. The reality of the situation causes me to believe that the Chamber Orchestra is better served by the Angel Place Recital Hall (where all Sydney dates, bar this one, were performed.) The Opera House, being as well known as it is, draws an ambling crowd who appear to cough, converse and drop heavy objects throughout concerts. In such a large space, with minimal application, a Chamber Orchestra would naturally find it hard to compete (without of course sacrificing the dynamic delight they have become so familiar with expressing.) Fortunately, Tognetti (a man far beyond ‘leader’ – his achilles outstretched like the beginnings of flight) has the capacity to draw focus, flaunting great musical prowess with his ensemble; the Australian Chamber Orchestra performs like a slowly swelling wave, swaying wistfully as if connected by an invisible line, leaving pretension behind for pure performance.

There is something metaphysical about the connection between Tognetti and his players; if you watch carefully, his metered sway affects the movement of the section leaders, which transfers like the residue of a breeze to the back rows. A movement which causes even Handel’s Concerto Grosso to have emphatic expression, meticulous yet openly vivacious, shadows and light shown in equal exploration, vibrancy and restraint with equal tenacity.

Vasks’ Vox Amoris: Fantasy for Violin and Strings (a world premiere) takes on a different tone with Tognetti at the helm. The piece is an adventurous exploration into the traditional accompanied solo, really allowing Tognetti’s talent to shine through. The piece is extremely demanding on the soloist and Tognetti, to my expectation, rose to the challenge easily, expressing great ornamental technique over a warm blanket of chamber strings. Though he may have been adjusting to the venue shift, at times it seemed that Tognetti was slightly over-playing the piece in order to translate to the larger space; his heavy vibrato becoming a little flourish too far.

At this point in the performance, the crowd became confused as it appeared the program had shifted (for a second time) to exclude Carl Vine’s Pipe Dreams. After the interval, the program continued as if the Vine had not been planned with Serebrier’s Flute Concerto played by the tour’s featured artist, Sharon Bezaly. Whether she was booked on her performance skills or her personality, one could not fault either. Bezaly has amazing dexterity. Her diction, even on extended and complex passages, was flawless, the attack of each note as perfectly sharp as the note is round. Her inclusion of alto flute, specifically, brought a beautifully warm tone, allowing her to meet with the stirring hearth of the cello, and blend in with the strings; nestled like a butterfly into the confines of nature; fluttering and shimmering as a wind instrument above her bowed environment. After the Serebrier, Bezaly seemed to decide that they would play the last ‘movement’ of the Vine (noting to the audience that the piece itself did not divide itself into such sections) and this was extremely enjoyable but short lived. To be honest, I found it to be a fault of the program that the Izarra Flute Concerto was cut before the run began (it was to be an Australian Premiere and now will be recorded instead) to allow for both the Serebrier and the Vine to be performed at all concerts, only to find on the night that the Vine had been cut also. In my humble opinion, though it is not always customary, I believe a concert titled The Girl with the Golden Flute with a guest flautist, ought to include more than 30 minutes with the featured artist. This is not to fault the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s performance, nor Tognetti’s direction, in any way except to say that some thought should be given to these alterations. Though it is not a new thing to feature your performer for a limited time, the noticeable change in program, and the last minute cut, made the time with Bezaly, a sparkling performer with an endearing personality to match, seem inappropriately short. It is for this reason also that I felt Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings was less appealing. It was beautifully carried off, but placed as the last piece (which lasted longer than Bezaly’s appearance) it seemed like a string denouement to a climax which was not quite long enough.

I am plagued as a critic with those two factors; expectation and exaltation. To give into my desires of great flattery for an ensemble I adore would be deemed blindly extravagant, so at times I have had to digress into greater critical detail. My expectation of a flute soloist, while not in any way reduced by the soloist herself, was reduced by the lack of time bestowed upon her.

Perhaps it is better to go in fresh, but despite our greatest efforts, that can never entirely be achieved.

Upcoming: See the Australian Chamber Orchestra perform Beethoven’s 4th Symphony across Australia with special guest pianist Dejan Lazic – November 2nd to 26th. Information and Tickets available here.

For further information on upcoming concerts, including the 2010 ACO Season, visit their website.