It is always an exciting concert moment when a member of any orchestra’s ranks emerges as a soloist. In this first Met Concert for 2014, TMO’s brand was given a boost when Svetlana Yaroslavskaya performed Carl Vine’s Pipe Dreams for Flute and Orchestra.
For the 2014 Met Concert series, the orchestra has moved into a new venue, namely the ABC Centre’s roomy and reverberant Eugene Goosens Hall. There was a definite theme of expansion, new horizons and adaptability in both the performance environment and the ground-breaking programmed works for this new subscription series.
Carl Vine’s ingenuity ensures his work explores many subtleties of texture for soloist and orchestra rather than a soloist dominating the moment. The promotion of Yaroslavkaya to soloist in this unique style of virtuosity also demonstrated flexibility of single line and the orchestral accompaniment, as well as the resources of the TMO itself.
Mozart’s Symphony No 31 ‘Paris’, K297/300a continues the theme of change and new horizons with Mozart writing in altered forms for a larger Parisian orchestra. This programme of works breaking new ground in their time also included an exciting rendering of Robert Schumann’s five movement Symphony No 3 ‘Rhenish’, which includes a large number of players including sizeable brass choir.
Svetlana Yaroslavkaya was spellbinding in her performance of Vine’s Pipe Dreams for Flute and Orchestra. She captured the seamless contour and virtuosic balance of the flute part against Vine’s innovative orchestral effects. Impressively long threads of often angular phrasing expressively evoked the complexities of reverie.
The ‘Paris’ Symphony was full of excitement and the necessary operatic-like drama required for Mozart playing. The first movement, offered a solid declamatory opening and the development section was a fine example of clarity despite drama and momentum
Schumann’s ‘Rhenish’ symphony occupied the concert’s entire second half. This sprawling work comes from a creative surge in the composer’s troubled later life. The highlight for this performance was witnessing the large 2014 orchestra complete with French horns and trombones shape the complexities of Schumann’s score in busy but well-articulated broad strokes.
Some entries exchanged between instruments could have been even more resonant above the full and busy orchestra in the finale to this concert. However, such blurred moments were very short lived. The orchestra, and especially the brass choir which augmented it, triumphed in treating the audience to a full Schumann sound.
The many and varied appearances of the entertaining TMO throughout the rest of 2014 range from family concerts through choral collaborations to luxury cruise entertainment. There is something in these symphonic sounds for everyone.
For more about TMO – Met Concert 1, visit http://www.metorchestra.com.au