Fourth subscription concert at Civic

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32407, 21 September 1970, Page 14

Fourth subscription concert at Civic

An encouragingly large audience heard the Christchurch Civic Orchestra’s fourth subscription concert of the 1970 series in the Civic Theatre on Saturday evening. John Chisholm led the orchestra which reached its highest standard (indeed a high one) in the Sibelius Violin Concerto and Weber’s “Oberon” Overture, works by masters who know well how to write music entirely natural to the instruments and to normal professional performance. Louis Yffer was the soloist in the Sibelius in an interpretation that revealed the depth of the work’s strong, poetic sentiment. The experienced skill of Juan Matteucci, the conductor, blended the music of soloist and orchestra to reveal the beauty of a great concerto. The freshness and precision of the Weber recalled those and other qualities in the playing of the group with which Professor John Ritchie laid the foundations of the present orchestra: musicians alert to the conductor I and confident in attack, deft ’ in detail, securing lively tone and wide dynamic range. Mr Matteucci obtained the bril-

liant effect that Weber made achievable. Between these two masterworks came Peter ScuL thdrpe’s “Sun Music 1,” and "Pulcinella Ballet Suite.” “Sun Music 1” endeavours to suggest certain natural characteristics of the Australian, out-back scene, employing to that end various tricks in the use of instruments which must be exactly right if they are to succeed at all. This performance did not convince. In the Stravinsky item (based on supposedly Pergoiesi thematic ideas) the orchestra was at its best in the opening “Sinfonia,” the gay “Tarantella,” and—the most successful movement—the “Finale.” The next concert takes place on October 17, when Juan Matteucci will be the conductor and Janetta McStay the solo pianist. —V.G.