WILLOUGHBY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN BRILLIANT FORM

 

Resident WSO composer Matthew Hindson whose piece House Music was performed during the concert.
Resident WSO composer Matthew Hindson whose new piece House Music was performed during the concert. Photo by Bex Photography.

Featured photo- internationally acclaimed Australian flautist, Virginia Taylor who performed Hindson’s new work.

The magnificent Willoughby Symphony is one of Australia’s most exceptional orchestral organisations – a professional symphony orchestra of outstanding quality, serving the community of Sydney’s North Shore and beyond. It has  notched up yet another success, with their third concert of the year, BRILLIANCE. On the musical menu was Mozart’s Symphony No.35 in D, K385 (Haffner); Resident Composer Matthew Hindson’s House Music; and Danish Composer Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No.6.

Taking the place of resident Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, Dr Nicholas Milton, was the very versatile Maestro Stephen Mould, a regular guest with the WSO. Stephen is currently Chair of Opera Production and Senior Lecturer in Operatic Studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music whilst also continuing his freelance activities as a conductor and accompanist.

History records that Mozart directed that the first movement of his Haffner Symphony should be played ‘with great fire.’ And it certainly was, with the entire orchestra playing with much enthusiasm and enjoying playing it as much as the audience enjoyed listening. The next three movements were equally exciting, and ended to rapturous applause.

Featured artist for the evening was internationally acclaimed Australian flautist, Virginia Taylor, playing an original work by Matthew Hindson, resident Composer for the WSO.  Matthew Hindson’s idea of ‘house music’ is simply music you might hear coming from various rooms of an ordinary, everyday house. Quote from the composer: ‘Each movement pictorially represents particular rooms and features of a variety of houses, (or perhaps mansions.’) As the music moved from room to room, so the audience imagined the sounds that might come from each respective one.

The work was as exciting as that of any of our famous classical composers, and exhibited Virginia Taylor’s expert handling of the flute. A new, innovative and exciting work, and one we are sure to hear again and again.

Danish composer Carl Neilsen’s Symphony No. 5 brought the concert to a fitting conclusion, and was obviously known and enjoyed by the discerning audience at the evening performance.

As each section of this wonderful orchestra rose to take their bows, they were greeted with well-deserved and rapturous applause.

If you’ve not attended one of WSO’s concerts before, do yourself a favour and book for a future one. It’s an experience you’ll enjoy and remember for a long, long time.  

So to sum it up in just one word, the concert was simply, well – BRILLIANT!

The Willoughby Symphony Orchestra’s concert BRILLIANCE was performed at the Concourse Chatswood on Saturday 18 June at 7pm and Sunday 19 June at 2pm.