The Queensland Symphony Orchestra performance of Tchaikovsky and Beethoven that featured violin soloist Nemanja Radulović was quite the night. On November 1st, 2019 at 7:30pm the Concert Hall became utterly quiet as Craig Whitehead announced the news that there was a change of events in relation to the night’s program. It appeared that unfortunately Alondra de la Parra was unable to conduct the following performance and was making her way to a nearby hospital. Whilst this news was surprising, this did not take away from the magic that was to come.
First up, conductor Dane Lam entered the picture and subsequently began to warm up the audience with a piece he has recently been conducting for Opera Queensland’s Orpheus & Eurydice. The overture to Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice was simply setting the scene for what was to come, and there were many more surprises on the way. When Nemanja Radulović stepped onto the stage, I was simply in awe. This Franco-Serbian was a musician that my Mother had introduced me to a while ago, given that she had the Serbian background in common with him.
When my Mother initially showed me this musician, she couldn’t help but get excited by his hair. That goes without saying that when Nemanja Radulović plays in a live setting, his hair moves with such an energy that it almost appears to be moving in time with the music he is playing. Nemanja Radulović is a unique character on stage and whether you’re pulled in by his Franco-Serbian background or simply the fact that he plays classical favourites such as Tchaikovsky (or both!) it’s safe to say that he is far from boring.
Nemanja Radulović went so far as to partially conduct and continue to play his naturally complex violin solos, all the while showing support for his fellow musicians with expressions of acknowledgement. Not only was he in fact standing in place of a conductor but he carried on to do a marvelous show of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in D for Violin and Orchestra, and didn’t break under the pressure. The gorgeous range that was produced by Nemanja Radulović’s violin, as well as the variation of sounds played in the solos were enjoyable to watch.
Whilst Nemanja Radulović was in a sense rebelling against classical music foundations by conducting the orchestra through the voice of his leading violin, he also provided great entertainment and gave a new energy to the room in light of the sad news of Alondra de la Parra’s absence. Of course, the show must go on and given that the accompaniment of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra was as solid as it was, it went on without a hitch. This truly was a magnificent part of the performance. Some of the solos featured in the Concerto in D for Violin and Orchestra were so intertwined with complexities that it is no surprise that Nemanja Radulović had to wipe sweat running down his forehead in-between semi-conducting the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Which is why to my surprise, in the second half of the performance, there was no Nemanja Radulović to be found. This was a somewhat surprising aspect to the performance given the impression, at least to myself as a fan of Nemanja Radulović, that he would be leading both halves of the show due to the way the marketing material was presented. However, that was all from Nemanja Radulović for that night and whilst it was sad I wasn’t going to spend a further forty minutes watching his hair bob around as he passionately pulled sounds from his violin, I braced myself for the Beethoven part of the performance.
This time, Dane Lam was back and conducting Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F (Pastorale) which would conclude the evening. One of the highlights of this part of the performance was the way each of the acts built up to the raging ‘thunderstorm’ of sounds such as in IV. Allegro. This was a truly magnificent display of the full range of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s capabilities. Whilst this was a one night only show, I would keep a very close on Nemanja Radulović and his future performances, particularly in Australia in the next ten years. I hope to watch Nemanja Radulović again one day, and hey, if I’m lucky I might be able to catch some Niška Banja while I’m at it and get to shout “Opa”!
November 1st, 2019
Concert Hall, QPAC
Joanna Letic