I harassed my friend to harass his friend to get me reviewers tickets to upcoming QSO ventures as - although devoid of any classical training - I enjoy critiquing things. So while I might lack the grit to adequately classify chromaticism when it rears its adorable head, I will be able to give you somewhat of a picture of the experience that myself and fellow faux-musicologist Jack Devlin had.
In this case and point we popped along to Epic Visions by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eduardo Strausser, which featured Felix Mendelssohn's The Hebrides, Op.26 (Fingal's Cave), Wolfy Mozart's Concerto No.4 in D for Violin and Orchestra, K.218, and Anton Bruckner's Symphony No.4 in E Flat.
Beginning the night, Mendo's sensitive little number left me with feelings of being homesick, yet chuffed with being away (...if that makes any sense). It was handled at least as well as I've heard digitally, but it didn't blow my pants clean off me and onto the head of the fella who had fallen asleep one row behind [Ed. Jack Notes: An elderly gentlemen did indeed fall asleep behind us, and come Mozart he'd started into a gentle snore].
Here he is. Barnábas Kelemen has been unleashed and squashes that violin to his face with a look of sheer delight. This man is like French wine 30 years ago: all class and on top of his game. However tonight the plonk he happens to be peddling is Austrian. As a soloist he weaves through Mozart's Concerto with a calculated precision. This piece gets physically demanding, but Kelemen takes to the task as if he's using his instrument to lure rats out of the city: this is his job, but he relishes in such pleasures. He even picks remnants of sweat and string off of the bow after the piece, which gives the audience a moment to unhinge themselves from formalities and chuckle along with Kelemen. The conclusion of this piece certainly affords such frivolities, and I'm led to believe Mozart would have delighted in moments such as these being the merry prankster that he was.
The Panzer division had Wagner to pump them up, and might I suggest debt collectors working for dodgy loan sharks get into Bruckner, because this bloke understood urgency and how to hang something in the air and let it loom. From the intro there are bows flicking and brows furring, and then WISP: you're thinking you're in the clear. But a bad debt follows you and a good symphony hollows you. Two words come to mind as this piece matures on my palette: majestic and scandal! Scandal with the exclamation point. There are even moments where it seems to get sneaky. As in I don't know if I can trust the progression of the tune. I seemed to be so caught up in the fervour that all I had noted was "the conductor could poke me in the eye at this point and I would not look away". I daresay, if parliament functioned as well as the QSO we'd be living in a very different Australia. Hats off to them and Brucks both.
By Kieran Elliott [Flotsam Tuesdays 9-10am]