Conductor Simone Young
Viola soloist Nils Mönkemeyer
Brett Dean Notturno inquieto (Australian premiere)
Bartók Viola Concerto
Schubert Symphony No.9 in C D.944 (The Great Symphony in C Major)
A “Great” Example of the Vibrant Virtuosity of the Viola.
The internationally accoladed Simone Young AM, currently principal guest conductor of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, returned to the QSO launching the orchestra into the Great Symphony concert. There was a distinct German flavour to the concert, with Simone having worked as General Manager and the Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and as the Music Director of the Philharmonic State Orchestra, Hamburg. Also, the guest viola musician, Nils Mönkemeyer, is a music professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich. Continuing with the German flavour, Brett Dean, although born in Brisbane, spent fourteen years at the Berlin Philharmonic as the Principal viola player, and more recently is the Composer in Residence of the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Berlin.
The evening was introduced by Jann Keir-Haantera, a viola player with the QSO, who was happy that the viola would feature highly in the concert. It opened with the Australian premiere of Brett Dean’s Notturno inquieto, which was commissioned and premiered in June last year by Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. With a quiet start featuring viola solos, the sounds of the night were mimicked by the percussion and orchestra. The recreation of the more sinister side of the night gave the piece an uneasy, yet modern feel. The chorale from the woodwind amassed energy until the orchestra reached a frenetic climax, with a sound similar to the orchestral part of The Beatles’ A Day in the Life dissipating to a still silence leaving ears ringing.
Bartók’s viola concerto was ambrosia to any viola aficionados, highlighting the virtuosic skills of Nils Mönkemeyer. He stood centre stage and treated the audience to the three movements which also had elements of the sounds of the night, Hungarian folk dances, and even what sounded like a Celtic jig. Both Nils and Simone were swaying in unison to the melodies, as if they were separated dance partners. After a storming applause, Nils announced he was playing a Bach slow solo as an encore to calm the audience down!
Controversy surrounds Schubert’s ‘Great’ Symphony in C, as it was found amongst papers after Schubert’s death in 1828 by his brother. He finally gave it to Robert Schumann in 1838, who instantly sent it to Mendelssohn in Leipzig. It was finally performed in 1839 by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, despite having been completed in 1826 before Schubert’s death.
Schumann described the ‘Great’ symphony (Symphony No.9 in C, D.944) as of a “heavenly length,” with a dynamic new way of structuring large spans of symphonic time. Schubert uses the sonata style in three of the movements: with an exposition of the main subject; the development of the subject; and then a recapitulation. His use of the french horn and trombone calls were evocative of Mendelssohn. The finale closed with feverish violins adeptly directed by Young, who was rewarded with several curtain-calls. The Great Symphony concert was a “great” example of the vibrant virtuosity of the viola.
You can relive The Great Symphony on ABC Classic on the 30th July at 8pm.
The Great Symphony: Simone Young Returns by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Sat 20th July, Concert Hall, QPAC
Dr Gemma Regan