Above: Willoughby Symphony Orchestra perform in the excellent acoustic of the beautiful Charswood Concourse Concert Hall. Featuered Image : Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of WSO, Dr Nicholas Milton.
The Willoughby Symphony Orchestra always entertain. This is due to an admirable diversity of concert styles and programming. It is also thanks to an engaging rapport with audiences from Chief Conductor Nicholas Milton via candid, personal and clear commentary.
In the orchestra’s most recent concert, last Saturday’s ‘Fantasique’, a formidable focus from all players and dynamic leadership through two sprawling works resulted in memorable music-making.
This event was complete with precise and passionate playing, enviable clarity and an exemplary communication of the essence of each target composer. We were guided to glimpse the historical, emotional plus musical headspace of composers for the two popular works, separated in time by a century.
The composers featured were equally as innovative and flexible as each other, and with a history of delivering music keen in dramatic impact. Both composers were capable of fine layering in their music plus demanding internal shifts in space and colour.
Above: Violinist Rosa Donata Milton performed Korngold’s Violin Concerto . Photo credit: Alexandra Münch.
To interpret the mid twentieth century return to classical concert music by Korngold after his successful career in the U.S film industry, WSO was joined by successful violinist and music trainer from Germany, Rosa Donata Milton.
This violinist’s affinity with twentieth-century composers and ways with which to best speak their individual concerto stories eloquently was a pure treat to hear at this concert event.
Rosa Donata Milton transported us into Korngold’s world of smooth concerto-form development. Her performance was rich intricate but melodic bravura moments and dramatic turnarounds which often hurtle headlong into luscious tutti vistas. Her following of the musical song rather than mere showy or self-indulgent tactics of display was very welcome on this night.
Korngold’s success as a film soundtrack composer and his matching of storytelling hues between the orchestra and soloist make this loved concerto reverberate nicely in the venue.
His expert shifts of character and attractive lyricism were demonstrated well. Korngold’s development in this work of successful themes from past Hollywood movie music triumphs, including some starring our Errol Flynn, were seamlessly explored by the soloist and WSO’s interlocking, expressive accompaniment..
Above: Dr Nicholas Milton led WSO in an exciting, colourful reading of loved works by Korngold and Berlioz.
Rosa Donata Milton played with melifluous ease and beautiful broad strokes. Her command of her instrument’s ultra-high register, and a harmonic-filled solo expression was a feature of this performance. The balance with her husband-conductor’s band as they presented intricate gestures and huge sonic vistas alike during Korngold’s adroit narrative was very impressive.
It was next a thrill to dive into the inventive story and shifting skilful orchestral shadings of the complete, expansive Symphonie Fantastique after interval.
Berlioz would have been satisfied with the attack and swoop Nicholas Milton dug out of his orchestra through the sprawling five-movement romp. Romanticism and the power of programmatic music burst from the stage. Scenes involving the calm of a field, emotional foes, obsession, opium-inspired horrors and the trials of love and death were vividly explored and shared with the responsive audience here.
Above: a Down-Under ‘Last Night At the Proms’concert is the next concert for Willoughby Symphony Orchestra
The WSO percussion team gilded this classic vibrantly throughout. Brass choirs brought drama to any of the internal dramas involving Berlioz’s suffering artist in this tale. The serenity of movement three’s Scène aux Champs’ picture was captivating, especially with effective duetting between cor anglais and poignant offstage oboe. The lilting string swish and harp highlighting in the dance music of ‘Un bal’ during movement two was also something listeners could lose themselves in.
WSO concluded this concert and Berlioz’ work as a fine tribute to his Romanticism and the power of extramusical programmes or stories surrounding the imaginative music du jour. This historic style that showcased all sections of the orchestral voice evenly was clearly celebrated in this sharing by WSO players and conductor.
Dr Milton’s compact, pocket-guide to Berlioz’ symphionic story and compositional approach was by far the best summary of the busy-nes within Symphonie Fantastique I have heard for some time.
WSO played a somewhat curious, unprogrammed prelude to this concert and the advanced drama of Korngold and Berlioz. We heard a super-crisp and controlled version of Mozart’s Overture to the Marriage of Figaro‘. This was a fine step-back-in-time piece to set the stage for the more modern approaches to theatricality to follow. Contrast, intrigue and also the relentless musicianship required to manage Mozart here highlighted the local orchestra’s energetic virtuosity.
Rosa Donata Milton followed her interpretation of Korngold’s gentle, rock solid gesturing with a brilliantly fresh encore revisiting of an oft heard classic. Her rendering of the ‘Méditation’ from Massent’s opera Thaïs brought smooth, well-directed phrasing and building of sentiment through the violin voice as heard in the preceding concerto.
This well-known piece painted expertly anew lingered with me for many grateful moments afterwards. So too did a lot of this well-prepared and performed orchestral concert.
WSO entertains us next at Chatswood Concourse in this Coronation year with ‘Last Night of the Proms’ on 12-13 August, which promises to be a fun, rewarding night for all in attendance.
