Concert Hall, QPAC
Sunday 24th Oct, 2021
Konstantin Shamray – Piano
Alexandra Flood – Soprano
Händel Da tempeste il legno infranto HWV 17
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Mahler Symphony No. 4, Movement 4: Sehr behaglich
Rachmaninov Vocalise Op. 34 No.14
Bellini Ah, non credea mirarti... Ah! non giunge from La Sonnambula
Dr Gemma Regan
The divine symbiosis between the Southern Cross Soloists achieved Mahler’s heavenly vision with guest artists Konstantin Shamray and Alexandra Flood as the jewels in the crown
The Southern Cross Soloists delivered a celestial conclusion to their 2021 concert series with Heavenly Life featuring two highly acclaimed artists, Australian pianist Konstantin Shamray and International coloratura soprano Alexandra Flood. Patron The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO was present to give an uplifting speech of joy and gratitude for the musicians and for the support of the QPAC through these difficult times. She had found the pandemic lockdowns to be a powerful awakening as to how important music is for the heart, mind and soul.
Artistic Director Tania Frazer again managed to overcome more pandemic related border restrictions substituting musicians Ashley Smith and James Wannan with QSO violist Nicole Greentree and the young upcoming clarinettist Dario Scalabrini.
Frazer compiled a program to stir the soul opening with the powerful crystalline voice of soprano Alexandra Flood in Händel’s Da tempeste il legno infranto. It was Flood’s first return performance with the Southern Cross Soloists due to the pandemic and it was fortunate she chose to travel from Europe to perform in Brisbane.
Flood debuted at the Salzburg Festival in 2014 and has since travelled the world performing including with the Southern Cross Soloists in 2015 at the Bangalow Festival. She was resplendent in a dress her fairy Godmother could have conjured, of a jacaranda coloured chiffon and a sparkling silver bodice.
The coloratura soprano aria is sung by Cleopatra while she awaits imprisonment and was originally written for Europe’s prima donna Francesca Cuzzoni. Flood’s sweet trills and vivacious vibrato were superb from our modern-day equivalent, although sadly sopranos are not as well reimbursed as Cuzzoni whose fee was astronomical, as one of Handel’s ‘dream team’.
The much sought after highly acclaimed musician, Konstantin Shamray was also a valuable edition to the concert playing continuo effortlessly throughout his debut with the Southern Cross Soloists. He made history in 2008 when he was the first to win both the First Prize at the Sydney International Piano Competition and the People’s Choice Prize, in addition to six other prizes. He now lectures in Piano at the Elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide.
Shamray has had a very busy week, as he also made a guest appearance with the QSO at the weekend replacing Piers Lane in Breathtaking Tchaikovsky and had also been performing on the Gold Coast. Despite his gruelling schedule, Shamray stunned the audience with the skilful finesse of his elegantly long arms utilising his impressive goalkeeper hand span to perfection in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24. Poker-backed his fingers fluidly flew up and down the keyboard as if separated from the body. He was an impressive sight at the piano, reminiscent of cartoon caricatures of the great maestros.
It was a symbiotic ensemble, with Jonathan Henderson on flute and Dario Scalabrini on clarinet flowing around Frazer’s oboe whilst the piano flitted up and down the scales. Mozart’s concerto was bright and breezy, despite one of only two written in a minor key.
The concert title Heavenly Life was taken from Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, contemplating a child’s vision of heaven. Mahler described the piece as painting a rich and vivid picture of heaven and the Southern Cross Soloists achieved his vision superbly. Flood’s voice soared across the concert hall singing the Germanic folk poem with gusto and glee.
Rachmaninov’s mesmeric Vocalise Op. 34 followed with strings, oboe and piano singing the melody without words, using the musician's rhythm and inflexion to encapsulate the beauty of his family estate, Ivanovka in the Tambov region of Russia. Frazer’s oboe was emotive and sincere describing Rachmaninov’s profound attachment to the area.
Bellini provided the finale to the Southern Cross Soloist’s spectacular 2021 season with Ah, non credea mirarti... Ah! non giunge from La Sonnambula. Flood returned to give the Italian rendition of the great sleepwalking scene, where Amina sleepwalks to the bed of another man and is found by her fiancé Elvino. It ranged from despair and melancholy when Elvino cancels the wedding, to ecstatic joy when he forgives her sleepwalking and returns the engagement ring to her finger.
It was to have been a heavenly end to the Southern Cross Soloists sublime concert series until Flood and Shamray returned to the stage with rapturous applause for a Rachmaninov encore to crown the concert with a bonus jubilant jewel.
The Southern Cross Soloists 2022 much anticipated season will be announced in November.