Concerto competition

Press, 15 February 1982, Page 4

Concerto competition

National Concerto Competition / (Instrumental) , Final. Ruthchen Evans, Mary Scott, and /Anthony Lawrence with the /Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Leader, Paulene Smith; • conductor, Martin Woolley. Christchurch Town Hali/'February 13. Reviewed by John Pattinsorii Trtfffitiohally the non-key-board/version of the National Concerto Competition . attracts-; a. ■ smaller, ; /audterice than fffr the pianb/cbncertok which./is a pity/ fof much moreyspice is promised by the Variety of possibly three different solo instruments, as on this occasion. / '. ...

Perhaps it is/the ingredient of ritual, lhe/gleaming black and white altar impersonally awaiting its victims, which gives the piano concerto?. 1 its dramatic advantage./Perhaps. too. it is the inescapable; fact that the piarict guarantees a certain stability/of intonation. Re-moye-ihis datum line and we havg/5 situation in whichany wayward intonation in either solOopf orchestral ’parts’ can be • » mutually infectious. Rhythmic cohesion, too. can often.suffer when the percussive, /dualities of the piano are absent. It was regrettable.that in., both these aspects/? the "ensemble frequehOy resembled a tug-of-war/On roller-skates, using an elastic rope. 7 Q$ the three highly talented soloists, only the winhdr. Mary Scott, of. Wellington. a clarinettist, was really in command of her

chosen concerto. Il is not enough simply to "survive" in playing a concerto and. although Miss Scott almost overdid it. she added a certain extrovert panache to the move obvious prerequisites of sound technique and imaginative musicianship displayed by the other two competitors. Even so. Miss Scott would do well to remember her instrument's normal: tendency towards sharpness, which is aggravated in the concerto situation.

The runner-up was Ruthchen Evans, also of Wellington. playing the Dvorak Violin Concerto, a work which demands a strong sense of advocacy on the part of all concerned to make it succeed. Technically impressive for the most part, it was nevertheless a somewhat tedious experience, although this was as much the fault of the work as the performance.

Our own Anthony Lawrence had. in the Dvorak Cello Concerto, the best work of the evening at his disposal. Unfortunately, he was too often at its disposal, although there were several tantalising glimpses of an underlying poetic musicianship. supported by a lovely tone when he felt able to relax.

It was an unenviable debut for the new musical director of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Martin Woolley. Concerto accompanying is an exacting skill al the best of times, and

when both orchestra and soloists are of less than professional standard it can become a hair-raising experience 1 for the conductor. On relatively firm ground with the Germanic Weber Concerto. the orchestra failed to capture the elusive Bohemian lilt of the two Dvorak works, or to match very accurately the rubato of the soloists. Neither was well served by the lack of "fire" in the string entries or by tentative woodwind playing. The woodwind section contains some fine individual players and under Mr Woolley's exjjert bassoonist's guidance, holds the orchestra's greatest potential for development. The judge was Mr John O'Donnell, of the Victorian College of Arts. Melbourne. His remarks to the competitors were apt, illuminating, and helpful.