Wind Virtuosi

Press, 24 June 1985, Page 4

Wind Virtuosi

Australian Wind Virtuosi, presented by the Music Federation of New Zealand at the Janies Hay Theatre, June 22, 8 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman.

For a group of self-styled virtuosi, the concert by the Sydney-based Australian Wind Virtuosi on Saturday evening was an ordinary and uneven affair. Content to splash through the shallows of the wind repertoire with varying degrees of enthusiasm and dexterity, the group failed to produce performances that satisfied on anything but a superficial level.

In fact, there were two pieces that failed to satisfy on any level. Vaclav Troian’s “Wind Quintet on Themes of Czech Folksongs,” composed in 1937, comprised little more than a dreary pastiche of classical mannerisms. Even a spirited delivery of the closing presto could not rouse the work from its imitative torpor.

Anne Boyd’s “Wind Across Bamboo,” composed especially for the group to the 1985 Hong Kong

Arts Festival, was regrettably the type of piece that does contemporary music a disservice. Masquerading as a minimalist work, it was short on ideas and long in exposition. The narrow band of pitch and dynamics explored quickly palled, and in terms of craft, the clumsy stitching of the structural seams helped reduce momentum to a standstill. With little evidence of emotional commitment in the performance, the work finally ground to a halt in a series of repetitious, though mercifully not unattractive, modal phrases. The performances of Telemann’s quintet from Suite in B minor (arr. Dirk Keetbas) and Franz Danzi’s Quintet in G minor contained many pleasing moments of polish and precision. These moments, unfortunately, were often overshadowed by basic blemishes in the quintet’s ensemble sound.

Throughout' both works, the horn dominated. This was particularly to the detriment of the light and breathy flute tone, which was often swallowed up in Jfthe over-all texture.

Intonation in the forte passages was on occasion suspect, and while the faster movements were generally buoyant in pulse and spirit, the slower movements tended to limp. Over-all dynamic contrasts were excellent when carried in unison, but important thematic phrases in any one particular instrument were too often overpowered by an unsympathetic accompaniment.

The pick of the six-item programme was undoubtedly the two French works, which featured instrumental combinations smaller than the basic quintet line-up. Ibert’s Trio for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon, and Quartet for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon by Jean Francaix were both stylishly and fluently delivered, " with commendable attention to detail.

The allegro movements in particular sparkled with an energy and spirit that was infectious. With a neat overall balance of sound and a sympathetic interplay between the instruments, the performance of these two works alone made the concert worih while.