G.S.O. ‘exciting’

Press, 16 November 1981, Page 6

G.S.O. ‘exciting’

The Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Varico Cavdarski. Town Hall Auditorium, Saturday* November 14. Reviewed by Heath Lees. When Vanco Cavdarski appears in front of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra things seem to happen. Wind-players forget about mere notes and concentrate on phrasing and colouring. The strings gain an increased confidence and a fuller sonority, whole the brass-players are kept carefully in check, contributing to a musical whole and hardly ever threatening the balance. Beethoven’s “Leonora No. 3” overture is not an easy piece, and the opening note struck terror in the heart, not so much in sympathy with the drama but more because it took half the note for everyone to agree on what G actually was. Apart

from that initial aberration it was a fine performance, with well controlled climaxes, in spite of a very careful tempo in the final presto. Bringing the off-stage trumpet closer to the audience the second time round was a good idea which contributecf much to the effect of the moment, and greatly enhanced the magical key change which Beethoven contrives at that point. Anthony Benfell sang three concert arias, one happily chosen from “Fidelio” itself and the other two, more random, by Verdi. Mr Benfell dispatched these in a confident, heroic fashion, although not without a sense of strain in the top register. Curiously, the German words came over consonant-heavy, while the Italian consonants were under-played, so that the double reference to

“chesty Aida” came as something of a surprise. The concert ended with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony which always sounds more substantial than it really is, but which is at the very least a superb model of Romantic , orchestration. Mr Cavdarski and the orchestra took advantage of every opportunity in the score, and turned in a performance of undeniable stature. The main movements were expressively . moulded and stirringly effective, and even the oft-neg-lected backwater of the third movement was given an appropriate sunlit grace. Over all it was an exciting evening, not just because the music gripped the • emotions but because one saw again how good the orchestra can be with suitably expert direction from the podium.