Dunedin Town Hall was the venue for Sunday afternoon’s well-supported concert by Cellists of Otago led by Heleen du Plessis and Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra under direction of Nick Cornish.
The event title "Be Moved" aligned with this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week theme, "movement: moving more for mental health," and narrator Melanie Kerr opened by inviting the audience to experience the power music possesses to contribute to wellbeing.
Twenty-seven players performed and a number of the items were arranged in a unique fusion of genres, described as "cross-pollination of brass and strings". Repertoire for the first-half tended to be reflective and soulful, often slow and in minor mode, such as Koral and Vocalese by Tormod Tvete Vik with its recurring nostalgic lyricism and Goodbye for Cello Quintet by Woodborn. Por Una Cabeza for four cellos was very interwoven in texture and definitely Spanish flavoured. An absolute highlight was Cornish with his soprano saxophone melody and obligato over cellos in a Peter Adams arrangement of Introitus from Missa Pro Defunctis by Cristian de Morales.
After a short interval, the repertoire was more up-beat and syncopated, with individual brass players taking solo spots. Vocalist Jodi Benson joined for Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) and Cornish again displayed his virtuosity with solo saxophone spots in a brass/cello arrangement of Perhaps Perhaps, Perhaps by Farres. The jazz orchestra’s performance of Samba del Gringo brought the cellists onstage to dance and twirl with their violoncellos, but despite the narrator imploring the audience to "dance and boogie in the aisles," the good-sized audience seemed mostly happy with subtle toe-tapping, even for the rousing final passionate tango Libertango by Piazzolla.
Review by Elizabeth Bouman
