Sunday Series ends

Press, 3 September 1984, Page 8

Sunday Series ends

The 1984 Motor Corporation Sunday Series with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carl Pini, at the Town Hall Auditorium, September 2, 3 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman.

With a dying huff and a puff, the popular 1984 Sunday Series of concerts by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra was snuffed out yesterday afternoon.

Haydn by candlelight was the theme for the. closing work of this series. Right on cue, each instrumentalist extinguished a candle and discreetly left the stage in what was a most atmospheric performance of the famous “Farewell” Symphony. i It was especially satisfying that the exciting quality of this visual image was matched by the music. The gentle intensity of the muted adagio was well sustained 'and the two outer movements had excellent momentum. Only the minuet was a shade soggy in patches. Under the baton of Carl Pini, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra has obvi-

ously mastered the art of cleanly dispatching a classical allegro. With the opening allegro assai of the “Farewell” Symphony, the inner allegro di molto of Mozart’s “Divertimento” (K 137 went at a cracking pace. Both were notable for their clarity of sound and rhythmic vitality.

With almost every second concert nowadays featuring either a work by Haydn or Mozart or both, the main interest of the programme for this reviewer lay in the performance of Rodrigo’s “Fantasia para un Gentilhombre” and John Ritchie’s “Aquarius” Suite No. 2 for Strings. Of these two works, similar in that they were written recently and in approachable idioms, the John Ritchie suite stands head and shoulders above the disappointing Rodrigo fantasia. Apart from the sentimental chromatic progressions preluding his second movement, John Ritchie’s harmonic writing appeared much fresher than the stale vocabulary used by Rodrigo. John Ritchie’s rhythmic writing, as heard particularly in his lively closing movement, had a sprightli-

ness that immediately appealed. The dignified main theme of his andante pastorale is a melody that lingers long in the memory. The problem that faces all guitarists when playing with an orchestra dogged Suzanne Court’s presentation of the Rodrigo fantasia. Simply, when all the orchestra was playing, and that includes a raucous piccolo line, the guitar could not be heard. Why the volume knob on the amplification was not turned up a few notches is anybody’s guess. This aside, in calmer, lighter textures, Suzanne Court showed herself to be a guitarist of great sensitivity and commendable technique. Her fingerwork was agile and generally free of fret noise. Her ornamentation was imaginatively delivered and her phrases well tailored.

As a last word, congratulations to the management of the orchestra for its planning and packaging of the Sunday Series. The series has added cheer to the winter concert season and has deservedly won many new supporters for the orchestra’s ongoing activities.