Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Dedication – Master Series 5
Adelaide Town Hall
By Pearl Tizzie
Friday 7 July 2017
Dedication is the fifth in the Master Series by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
Held in the beautiful Adelaide Town Hall built in the 1860s, in the Auditorium the orchestra are profoundly presented against the backdrop of the pipes 1989 Walker & Sons pipe organ. If you haven’t been to the Town Hall, it is worth a visit just to see this impressive instrument.
Simply visually the concert is a delightful feast. And as with any ASO event, even the warm up is to be admired.
Dedication is a wholesome three course meal conducted by Christoph König. A hearty and savoury warm development in the first half of the program, including a guest appearance by Louis Lortie on Piano for Main. And an elegant intricate dessert after interval:
Mendelssohn – Symphony No 3 ‘Scottish’
Saint-Saëns – Piano Concerto No 2
Ravel – Le tombeau de Couperin
Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 3 ‘Scottish’ is a charming and vivid depiction of a visit to Scotland by Mendelssohn. You can find yourself flittering between being captivated by the movement of the orchestra as a whole, and the subtle yet profound contribution of a single double bass note perfectly executed. Almost like watching a David Attenborough film in score form.
Anticipation builds while the grand piano is slowly moved to the front of the stage for Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No 2. Louis Lortie is a true musical painter. Starting with solo piano provides a greater juxtaposition when the full orchestra enters and playfully and teasingly accompanies the piano, speaking with and responding to the keyed notes.
After intermission Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin, a piece written in memorial and to pay homage to, with each movement dedicated to the memory of a friend of the composer. Here you can hear just how gentle music can be, but also the synergy created when the whole Orchestra fires up, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
The concert truely lived up to the description in the program, and you can easily find yourself caught up in the lands where the music takes you.
You can see Portraits & Variations – Master Series 6
Featuring Brahms, Ian Munro, Beethoven, and Elgar on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th of August at the Adelaide Town Hall.
There is also a FREE ‘Classical Conversations’ for ticket holders held one hour prior to each concert where the works presented are discussed.
Tickets are available here:
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