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Reviews

Dunedin is abuzz with arts energy this month, with the Dunedin Fringe Festival in full swing, and visits from touring groups keeping arts fans busy and happy. Brenda Harwood takes a look.

Mozart & Salieri

A chamber-sized orchestra of 40 New Zealand Symphony Orchestra players, led by violinist Vesa-Matti Leppanen, offered an innovative approach to the classical masters in their Mozart & Salieri concert last Thursday at Dunedin Town Hall.

Playing (mostly) standing up, the musicians gave spirited and engaging performances of Haydn’s Overture to his L’infedelta delusa comic opera, Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major, Salieri’s Variations on La folia di Spagna, and Hummel’s Variations on ‘O du lieber Augustin’, complete with audience participation.

The featured wind quartet in the Mozart piece — Robert Orr (oboe), Philip Arkinstall (clarinet), Justine Sun (bassoon), and Samuel Jacobs (horn) were superb throughout.

Dark Radio

The intriguing nature of the spy world was showcased at Allen Hall in afterburner’s Dark Radio — a mix of installation and performance.

In a darkened space, a blindfolded man types secrets, while a park bench awaits secret handovers, and redacted files are displayed, against a backdrop of random-seeming noise.

Created by Marty Roberts (light and set design), Stephen Stedman (sound design), and actors Richard Huber, Sarah Barham, Blaise Barham, and Jordan Wichman, Dark Radio pays homage to the time when "number stations", used to transmit information in noise, kept the world safe during the Cold War. Fascinating.

Wonderful

An updated version of Richard Huber’s drawing room comedy, Wonderful, gives a witty insight into the lives and longing of Lady Hermione and her butler Roberts, played with verve by Sarah and Blaise Barham.

Presented by SBZ Productions at Allen Hall, the play entertained with quick-fire comic banter between the pair, while a more serious exploration of their unequal relationship is gradually revealed. Amusing and engaging.

 - The Dunedin Fringe Festival continues until this Sunday, with an array of performances, including opera, music, theatre, comedy and more. For information, pick up a printed programme, or look online at dunedinfringe.nz