C.S.O. triumphant

Press, 22 February 1982, Page 6

C.S.O. triumphant

Subscription Series Concert by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Georg Tintner, in the Town Hall on Saturday, February 20. Reviewed by Heath Lees. . Before the start of the E flat Sinfonia Concertante the tuning oboist can be heard offering the viola" a B flat instead of an A. After a disconcerting moment one remembers that Mozart, ever thoughtful, writes the part up for this instrument to give it more acoustic muscle against its stronger partner, the violin. This works well, and Paulene Smith and Elizabeth Rogers gave a finely balanced, highly expressive treatment of the Italianate solo lines that weave their enchanting way throughout this music. Having solved the problem of parity between the instru-. ments," Mozart' can hardly be

blamed for not anticipating the size of the Christchurch Town Hall. But this does present another problem, for the main ensemble has to make itself heard yet must not overwhelm the soloists. Sensibly, the orchestra opted for a restrained dynamic, playing down all the time but, alas, failed to provide the vibrancy of tone and scrupulously accurate intonation that would have kept the sound buoyant and colourful Thus we had some rich, penetrating solo work against, a subdued, rather flaccid backcloth. Perhaps the regretful conclusion is that such a piece can be attempted successfully only in a smaller setting. Few of these acoustic problems beset the more public domain of Beethoven’s symphonies, although why the conductor retained the BarOque separation of the

violins, remains a mystery. Perhaps this was what helped to contribute to a certain slipping of the rear axle as the basses lingered occasionally in the first and second movements of the Fourth Symphony. Perhaps Mr Tintner was less than clear in his beat at times.

At any rate things came beautifully together for the Fifth Symphony, which had all the power and drive of a first, performance. There was no quarter given in the tempi, and the finale was a white-hot affair, with Mr Tintner racing along, looking for all the world like the Abbe Liszt, caught up in some heroic vision. To its credit, the orchestra stayed with him all the way, finishing breathless but triumphant.

It had Tjeen a close thing. But it had been worth it.