The Queensland Symphony Orchestra presented their second part in the Maestro Series: Russian Marvels to transport the audience behind the Iron Curtain for a dramatic night of marches and symphonies.
The evening began with Tchaikovsky’s stirring Slavonic March Op.31, which was originally written and performed in Moscow in 1876 as a benefit concert for the wounded Pan-Slavic troops fighting with Turkey. The six-time Grammy Award-winning Giancarlo Guerrero made a novel entrance onto the stage, as it looked like he had been pushed on after there had been a lengthy pause waiting for his arrival. However, he entertained the audience whilst conducting the robust orchestra with the energy of a twenty-year-old, vigorously bouncing about on the balls of his feet to the beat, whilst aggressively stabbing at the musicians with his baton. His exuberant energy was appropriate to the evening’s music, starting with a feisty funeral and ending in a jubilant and stirring victory March.
After a quick stage rearrangement when the Grand Piano was placed centre stage, winner of the MacArthur Fellowship and a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), pianist Stephen Hough took his seat to give the audience a spectacular rendition of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43 by Rachmaninov. Comprising 24 variations, with a repeating theme that would be familiar to most listeners due to its use in many movies, including: The Story of Three Loves (1953); Somewhere in Time (1980); Singapore Sling (1990); and even Groundhog Day (1993).
Stephen’s skills stunned the audience with his rhetorical flourishes as his fingers marched up and down the scales relentlessly during the 24 variations. The slower eighteenth variation is the most recognisable variation, often played and used in classical album compilations. It has a clever inversion of the melody of Paganini's theme where the A minor theme is literally played "upside down" as it would be written on the score in D♭ major. With jazz elements from the Bassoon reminiscent of Gershwin, Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini was a massive hit leaving the audience stamping their feet and clamouring for more. After three sets of tumultuous applause, Stephen Hough returned with a calming solo encore.
Shostakovich’s mighty and stirring Symphony No.10 followed after the interval. It was first premiered in Leningrad in 1953 following the death of Stalin. With four movements starting with a slow sonata, which contrasts well with the short-tempered second scherzo. Shostakovich claimed that the scherzo, filled with fervent semiquaver passages, was his “musical portrait of Stalin.” The QSO skipped through the dance-like third movement in which the composer’s love for his student Elmira Nazirova was encoded, the notes spelling her name "E La Mi Re A."
The fabulous evening and a glorious tribute to Russian music ended with the happy fourth movement influenced by Mahler ending with a zippy end and further riotous applause from a grateful audience. For those who could not attend, or would like to hear it again, it was fortunately recorded by the ABC and will be played on ABC’s Classic FM in the near future.
Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero
Piano Stephen Hough
Tchaikovsky Marche slave (Slavonic March), Op.31
Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43
Shostakovich Symphony No.10 in E minor, Op.93
QPAC Concert Hall, Sat 14th July, 2018
Review: Dr Gemma Regan