Thrilling Concert By National Orchestra

Press, Volume C, Issue 29563, 12 July 1961, Page 17

Thrilling Concert By National Orchestra

The Civic Theatre was filled last evening for the welcome reappearance of the National Orchestra which, under Mr John Hopkins’s inspired direction, gave a thrilling concert. Each member of the orchestra deserves thanks for a standard of playing which was very high indeed.

The Haydn Symphony No. 96 in D began solemnly with some very smoothly soaring melodies from the strings in the introduction, then the oboe heralded a joyous outburst from the full orchestra and the symphony was safely launched. There was playing of bright tone and strong texture as Mr Hopkins directed the players with his unfailingly stylish interpretative insight and they responded with precision, wellgraded expression, and clarity of line. This was exhilarating playing which created a stirring atmosphere. Some charming antiphonal effects between strings and woodwind were heard in the second movement. The strings had a bright vibrancy in their tonal qualities. The Minuetto had gaiety and grace and the last movement had plenty of vigour and

crispness. Mr Abbey Simon, the distinguished American pianist, was the soloist with the orchestra in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major. This was a superb performance which will long remain in the hearers’ memories if the warmth of the applause is indicative. Mr Simon created wonderful atmosphere in those first few bars from the piano alone, wihi which the work opens. Right from that moment when he created lovely, thoughtful and poetic tonal quality he was completely in command of the nature of the performance and of every technical requirement in it. The orchestra took the spirit of the opening bars from him with sympathetic

understanding and the work grew in intensity until the first main entry came from the piano. From here the work developed into symphonic proportions which, nevertheless, were always balanced by poetic and lyric graciousness. A sunny mood prevailed with tones which flashed and rippled from the piano and were matched in tone, intensity, colour, and spirit by the orchestra. From great brilliance to the most delicate and caressing sounds Mr Simon revealed that he is a pianist whose musical insight is that of a master. Stupendous Performance

Then the orchestra gave a stupendous performance of’ Stravinsky’s Ballet Suite “Petrouchka.” From the beginning the ‘ woodwind, then the strings and then the brass created most exciting atmosphere with playing of great vitality and clarity. It is a wonderful score with seemingly transparent orchestration and every detail came through perfectly. The playing called for perfect precision and the most subtle attention to balance of tonal colouring and intensities, and it certainly got them from Mr Hopkins’s marvelilously sensitive and penetrating direction. It did not matter whether the music called for the wispiest sounds from just a few solo instruments or for great batteries of sound from the full orchestra playing with the most striking ebullience, everything came with heightened imagination and perfect detail. There was not a dull moment, nor one in which it could be felt that the score was not being given a reading less than illuminating. There are violent contrasts throughout the work—and to understand them it is necessary to have a mental picture of what is happening on the stage in a ballet performance—but each new atmosphere was caught immediately in a pompletley convincing way. This was inspired direction and equally inspired response from the players. It is doubtful if we , have ever heard more exhilarating virtuoso playing from the National Orchestra. There will be another concert from the National Orchestra on Thursday evening when, with the Christchurch Harmonic Society, it will perform Verdi’s “Requiem.”