Conductor Alondra de la Parra
Piano Paul Lewis
Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor
Tchaikovsky Symphony No.5 in E minor
Ravel Rapsodie espagnol (Saturday)
A momentous send off from the QSO to an estimated 30 million listeners for Alondra de la Parra and Paul Lewis
It is time to pass the baton as the 2019 musical seasons come to a dramatic close, for not only Alondra de la Parra, but also for Sir Andrew Davis and David Robertson, with final concerts for the conductors and artistic chiefs of the Queensland, Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestras. All three major players are moving on from their roles Down Under. Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Alondra de la Parra, who has conducted over 100 of the world’s best orchestras, is returning to Berlin to resume her work in Yuval Sharon’s production of Mozart’s Zauberflöte. Also a great loss will be the internationally reputed English pianist, Paul Lewis, QSO’s 2019 Artist in Residence supported by the University of Queensland.
The Liverpudlian has entertained the QSO audiences with incredible skills, having won numerous awards including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist of the Year, two Edison awards and three Gramophone awards, and a CBE. There was further sadness this week, as two former QSO musicians passed away, the conductor Emeritus Werner Andreas Albert and the previous Youth Orchestra conductor, John Couro. All will be a loss to the QSO family.
However, the QSO were prepared to give a momentous send-off to all in a grand celebration of classical music with the season finale gala Timeless, being live-streamed throughout regional Queensland and to the rest of the globe via Facebook Live. The concert is also to be aired across the USA and Canada on channel Canal Once and on channel Canal 22, across the USA and Mexico giving a potential audience of up to 30 million people, almost as big as the Super Bowl! In an interview with de la Parra she exclaimed, “To be able to share our season finale gala, and my final concert, with audiences across Queensland, Australia and also throughout Mexico, Canada and the United States is a real dream come true for me. It’s a goal I have had since beginning my journey with the wonderful Queensland Symphony Orchestra and I am thrilled we have made it happen and that millions will be able to experience the extraordinary orchestra.”
The concert had an iconic beginning with the instantly recognisable theme of Grieg’s Piano Concerto, used in many a horror theme on a stormy night, preluded by the ominous rumble of the timpani roll. Paul Lewis was centre stage, languishing over the grand piano, as if playing Jazz on a Sunday afternoon. However, his incredible skills in interpreting Grieg’s colourful moods, described as “tone poem for piano and orchestra” and composed at the tender age of 25, was breathtaking.
Lewis uses his long gibbon-like arms and goalkeeper’s hands to manipulate the keyboard with relish and devotion. The lamenting melody of the second movement is pierced with lovely french horn solos from Malcolm Stewart, to create a melancholic dreamscape. The final movement was a frantic and fiery Norwegian dance, inspired by Norwegian folk music. Transitioning between flowing flute and flowery piano, it evokes flowing mountain streams and mischievous trolls, ending as it began, with a crashing roll from the timpani.
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, composed in 1888, was the shining glory of the concert beginning with a Fate motif from the clarinets, which is echoed throughout the forum movements. The Andante was composed as one of the world’s great love songs, with Tchaikovsky writing a short love poem to accompany the swelling french horn melody. A waltz, reminiscent of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet themes and a finale with a recapitulation of the other themes brought the concert to an end.
The QSO were flawless throughout and Alondra de la Parra was exuberant in her conducting, even finishing with a fast encore for the final show. There was a standing ovation from the exhilarated audience who thanked both de la Parra and Lewis for their valuable time with the QSO with their fervent clapping and whooping cheers. Both musicians will be sorely missed and we look forward to hearing the QSO’s 2020 program focussing on a celebration of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary! You can relive the concert on ABC Classic on 1 December 2019 at 1pm (AEDT) and even watch the whole concert on the QSO Facebook page.
Concert Hall, QPAC
15th and 16th Nov, 2019
Dr Gemma Regan