Orchestra heard to advantage

Press, 12 May 1981, Page 21

Orchestra heard to advantage

The Amici Chamber Orchestra, conducted by John Pattinson, in an all-Mozart concert in the Christchurch Teachers’ College auditorium yesterday, 8 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman.

The Teachers' College auditorium is known to be a great shriveller of sound, particularly strings. Consequently’it came as a pleasant surprise to hear such a fullbodied sound from the Amici Orchestra.

Its performance of the Overture from "The Marriage of Figaro" was a jov to hear, with the clean, crisp playing, the brisk, fresh tempo, and the clear articulation of the important string motifs.

Jillian Bartram must have been the busiest singer in Christchurch at the weekend. From the sublime to the sublime: Bach and Handel on Saturday evening, and Mozart’s motet, “Exsultate Jubilate,” on Sunday evening, all the works sung with an uncanny accuracy of style. Originally written for a castrato. “Exsultate" demands the agility of a coloratura with the richness of a beefy mezzo-soprano. Jillian Bartram's voice has the essence of both these qualities, her climactic top C was strong and true and her lyrical phrasing? in the middle movement demonstrated

the warmth of her middle register. The requisite pace of the “Hallelujah” movement. however, was just a shade fast for her comfort. One can understand why it is not accepted practice nowadays to conduct postBaroque music from the keyboard, particularly when it is a demanding concerto for piano.

The mortality rate of Mozart's piano concerti in performance is high enough without purposefully creating such a high-risk situation as John Pattinson did with the Concerto No. 17 in G minor. With such a dual role of conductorpianist for one person it was almost inevitable that the performance would be neither well played nor well directed.

Sure enough, out of a soggy opening tutti came a rocket that was the first piano entry and a course of all up and’down was set for the work. Mozart deserves a reprieve from such casual treatment and it is only testimony to the genius of the master composer that even when notes are missing the music shines through. Symphonj- No. 36 (the “Linz”) had its moments, showing signs of under-re-hearsal and fatigue in the ranks of the orchestra. However. the over all impression given from the reading was fair.