A wonderful introduction to new classical music
Presented by: Musica Viva Australia
Reviewed: 26 April, 2023
Musica Viva Australia are renowned for presenting the best musicians from around the world playing many different types of chamber music and this concert was no exception.
The young musicians, Adam Walker (flute), Anneleen Lenaerts (harp), are already principal players in orchestras in London and Vienna with Timothy Ridout performing solo viola music across Europe. The program for Among the Birds and the Trees was built around Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp which was itself inspired by Verlaine’s poem Clair de Lune (Moonlight).
While this piece was familiar to me, I had not heard a lot of the other music before. The opening piece, Flight by George Benjamin, was brilliantly played by Walker and truly mirrored the title of the concert. One could hear the great variety of bird calls – just like a dawn chorus – and then the noisy chatter of the birds as they flew off.
Lenaerts’ harp playing was a revelation to me as I had not realised so many different tones and moods could be produced from the stunning instrument she played. Similarly with Ridout’s viola music, as one rarely gets to hear the instrument alone or in a trio.
The Garden of Joy and Sorrow by Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina was also inspired by a poem but was in a very different mood from Verlaine’s work. It reflected the interaction and connections between people and nature with an intensity and, to my ears, deliberately discordant passages which I imagined reflected the difficult circumstances under which she wrote in the Soviet Union, having been blacklisted for much of her career.
It’s a shame that most cities are only hosting one concert by these incredibly talented musicians on their Australian tour.
Reviewed by Jan Kershaw
Photo credit: Naomi Jellicoe
Venue: Adelaide Town Hall
Season: Ended
More News
