Upshaw + ACO = musical bliss

On Monday night DG came down from Castlemaine and we had quick meal in Degraves Street before heading off to Hamer Hall to hear Dawn Upshaw singing with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. 

She sang three songs written for her by the Argentinian Osvaldo Golijov which were very interesting and very enjoyable, the klezmer influence adding extra spice. Then the ACO played Mozart's Symphony No. 29 - it was a taut, crisp performance with natural horns and period oboes and very enjoyable.

After interval Upshaw returned for a set of folksong settings by Bartok, arranged for string orchestra by Richard Tognetti. These songs were completely different in mood from the Golijov, much sparer, but no less enjoyable. Tognetti's arrangements were stunning. Upshaw's control is truly amazing; she's a very generous performer, singing as part of the ensemble, not as a soloist, and makes a real connection with the audience.

Then the ACO played Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante, again in an exciting performance.

The night finished with Upshaw returning to sing Richard Strauss' Morgen, with Tognetti lyrically playing the solo. 

Strauss performed on gut strings, at A=430, and with two natural horns, what a thought!

The ACO is certainly one of our national treasures - it's been a couple of years since I've heard them and they've have only got better. I must try to get to more of their concerts this year.

Orchestra Project

On Tuesday night B&P (freshly returned and relaxed after their Blue Mountains holiday) and I went to the South Melbourne Town Hall to attend a concert for ANAM. As it turned out we were there to celebrate the news that the academy will continue to operate as it is, at least for another year.

The Orchestra Project, a huge orchestra made up of ANAM alumni and members from many other Australian orchestras, played an all-Strauss program. The first half was the Four Last Songs, very nicely sung by Joanna Cole - such a treat to hear such gorgeous music so well performed. After interval the orchestra leapt into Ein Heldenleben, the massive ego-centric tone poem Strauss wrote about himself. It was terrific - Fabian Russell, the conductor, handled the huge work sensitively, allowing the music to breathe when necessary but allowing the players full-rein at the climaxes.

While the hall may have been a bit small for such large forces, I think I prefer it to Hamer Hall - the bass sound was fabulous, something I would never say about the concert hall, and I could hear most of the inner lines quite clearly as well. All in all, it was a wonderful night of music.