Two orchestras

Press, 30 September 1986, Page 9

Two orchestras

The Queensland Youth Orchestra and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra with Pamela Keightley (flute), conducted by John Curro, in the Town Hall Auditorium, Saturday, September 27, at 8 p.m. Reviewed by Roger Flury. The idea of combining the forces of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra with the visiting Queensland Youth Orchestra may have seemed something of a novelty on paper. In concert, however, it proved a really worth-while artistic event. Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” was given such an aggressive performance that one

wondered if a healthwarning notice ought to have been printed in the programme. Surely Copland intended to honour man, not demolish him. The Youth Orchestra showed its paces in Mussorgsky’s “Night on the Bare Mountain.” Once again, the emphasis was on brass and percussion, but this was an enthusiastic performance of an old war horse. There were some fine flute and clarinet contributions, and the strings produced a warm, disciplined sound. Regular concert-goers over the past few years must have noticed the fine playing of the C.S.O.’s principal flautist, Pamela Keightley. This was, surprisingly, her first solo appearance in a subscription concert. The Youth Orchestra was sensibly reduced in size for Mozart’s Flute Concerto in D, and under John Curro’s experienced baton, it accompanied stylishly. Miss Keightley contributed a solo part that was sprightly, fresh, rhythmically tight and extremely accurate. It was not until the second half of the .concert that we saw the real benefit of this collaboration between the two orchestras. Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 would normally lie outside the sphere of possibility for our own orchestra, but with the large injection of strings, woodwind, brass, and a harp, it became a reality. With hardly an inch of space left on the platform, Curro drew a remarkable performance from the

orchestra. Any fears that such a predominantly young orchestra might not handle the technical and intellectual difficulties of this rambling epic were soon put to rest:

If there were moments when a sense of direction or purpose was lacking, the fault lay with the music itself. The symphony has been criticised for being naive, trite and full of empty rhetoric. None of these faults were apparent in this performance, but it is a difficult work to forge together. Mahler’s original title, “Symphonic Poem” seems more appropriate. There were no big problems of cohesion thanks to Curro’s clear and concise direction. Only a seriously out-of-tune flute cast a shadow over the first movement, but generally each section of the orchestra surpassed itself. The brass in particular covered itself with glory, especially in the triumphant finale. An exciting evening, then, and one that will be long remembered by performers and audience alike.