Conductor Ingrid Martin’s excellent direction produced a performance before a near capacity audience at the King’s and Queen’s Performing Arts Centre of which the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra can deservedly be proud.
The orchestra and its soloists, Nick Cornish, Rowena Bell and Tessa Petersen, were en point throughout the repertoire, showing exceptional phrasing and delicately nuanced articulation through wonderful communication between orchestral sections,
Although one might quibble with the appearance of Beethoven as a necessary guest in a 20th century lineup, the programme was nicely balanced.
The sweetly rendered tripling prelude to Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin and the beautifully sedate Menuet, culminating in its exuberant dance Rigaudon, set the scene.
Classical guitarist Karin Schaupp performed Rodrigo’s dramatically beautiful and adored Concierto de Aranjuez with the orchestra. A deep dive into the work’s emotional extravaganza brought blissful smiles to all and clamorous applause for Schaupp. The work will rest in the mind’s ear for its all-encompassing majesty as much as for Schaupp’s deft articulation and well-wrought interpretation.
The thoroughly delighted audience and orchestra were treated to Schaupp’s generous encore of Francisco Tarrega’s Recuerdos de la Alhambra.
Ruth Gipps’ Seascape for double wind quintet, led by Cornish with direction from Martin, pleasantly conjured a day at the beach replete with seabirds and the lapping tide alongside the inevitable passing storm.
Betty Beath’s 1999 composition Adagio for Strings; Lament for Kosovo and Lament for Victims of War will sadly always be apt. This testament to the shame of the powerful and their victims’ endurance combines soaring and sadly beautiful passages with those of jarring rage anger. It reveals the salving power of music during the worst of nightmares.
Beethoven’s quixotic yet contained Symphony No 1 was performed with delightful precision. Highlights included the theme from Andante Cantabile and Menuetto.
