Final Prom Concert

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31907, 7 February 1969, Page 12

Final Prom Concert

The last of this season’s Prom concerts was given, under Juan Matteucci’s direction by the N.Z.B.C. Symphony Orchestra in the Civic Theatre last evening to an audience filling the theatre.

The programme opened with Suppe’s overture, “Pique Dame,” pleasantly played; and this was followed by a concerto for flute and orchestra by Jaquesibert, with Richard Giese as soloist.

Mr Giese has been leading flautist in the N.Z.B.C. Orchestra for several years, and his technical command of the instrument and his experienced artistry have been continually admired. The first movement was vigorous, rather angular, and at times aggressively assertive. Mr Giese’s tone came clearly even through the bright scor-

ing for the orchestra, and his playing was agile and brilliant. There was some emotional tension in the second movement, but much that was attractive in calmly-lyrical style as well. The solo and the orchestral parts balanced very well, and Mr Giese’s polished phrasing was most effective.

The last movement, though technically demanding, flowed in a very supple and happy style. There was a bright sheen on Mr Giese’s tone and his playing had a delightfully liquid Alow. This concerto holds the attention throughout its course, and was given a very good performance. The first part of the programme ended with Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. The playing throughout the four movements was sensitively coloured, subtly expressive, and imaginative. “The Death of Ase” was particularly beautifully played. The second part of the programme (it seemed a long part) was given over to works commissioned for the famous Hoffnung Festivals—the further surprises in the Surprise Symphony, The Tay Whale, the Metamorphoses on a bedtime theme, the mixed-up Concerto Populate, and the Grand Grand Overture.

These musical spoofs were very much enjoyed by the audience. Davina Whitehouse arrived by barge and was piped aboard the stage where she related very cleverly the story of the Ta/ Whale; David Galbraith was the concerto pianist who could not remember which concerto he was engaged to play not that it. mattered for long; Emily Mair and Grant Dickson were the soloists in the “Sleep-Sweeter - Bournevita” sketch, in which parodies of Bach, Mozart, Verdi, Schoenberg and Stravinsky were cleverly and subtly put across; and it all ended with resounding bang in the overture scored for orchestra, vacuum cleaners, and a floor polisher. It is a sobering thought that if we set out to spoof some modern composers, no matter what frightfulness we think up, we will find that long before we get our skit into rehearsal the clever fellows will have thought up something much more ghastly

and lethal. And what is more, they mean it to be taken seriously. Be that as it may, all who took part in these presentations did so with skill and in the spirit of the show. It must be said that none of these “Hoffnung” compositions are as funny or as brilliant as Hoffnung’s musical cartoons; and it is strange that Victor Borge or Anna Russell can be much funnier, in musical sketches, on the stage by themselves without benefit of full orchestral treatment. —C. F. B.