Above pic : The Utzon Room at the Sydney Opera House regularly features musicians of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing in recital. Pic Jay Patel
‘Cocktail Hour with Handpicked Wines’ is a relatively new program from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. It’s an inspired idea – in the intimate performance space of the Utzon Room overlooking sparkling Sydney Harbour and the Botanic Gardens – the audience, while enjoying a glass of wine (included in the ticket price), is treated to a small ensemble of musicians playing in a chamber setting. It’s a wonderful way for music lovers to connect with the music and the musicians. Tonight’s program was hosted, as usual, by harpist and ABC Classic broadcaster Genevieve Lang, who was her usual charming self.
One of the aspects of the Cocktail Hour series, is that each recital has been curated by one of the musicians, making a particular instrument more visible, more accessible, than it might be in an orchestral setting. Like everyone sitting in the Utzon Room, I was delighted that we were able to hear more of the clarinet.
Mozart’s elegant Clarinet Quintet in A major K581 opened the program. The composer was known as a great lover of the clarinet, finding it a deeply expressive instrument, an opinion well-nigh impossible to dismiss. As the first notes of the dreamy Allegro filled the room, it was immediately obvious how much love the musicians have for this work. They’re technically brilliant, of course, playing each note to perfection, but the real skill is in bringing out the emotion, longing, and sense of wonder that must surely have been part of the composer’s psyche.
The clarinet was played gorgeously by Alexander Morris; indeed each musician brought a tenderness to the work that was almost palpable. This work is upbeat, pensive, jaunty, soulful (oh my, the violin at the beginning of the Larghetto: breathtaking!). Really, the Quintet has it all. What more can one person possibly say about a piece of music that has been loved for well over 200 years, except to salute the musicians who brought it to life this evening?
The second piece on the program was Spitfire, by Holly Harrison, a young Australian composer who already has a seriously impressive resumé behind her. Harrison was inspired by the music of the 1930s, paying tribute to three highly significant jazz/swing artists of the first half of twentieth century, namely Benny Goodman, Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. It’s a playful piece in many ways, and if you listen very closely, you can certainly hear subtle nods to the gypsy jazz of the Quintette du Hot Club de France, the band established by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in France in the 1930s.
Spitfire, the name a reference to the famous fighter plane, opens with solo clarinet immediately reminiscent of Benny Goodman’s soaring swing style. The pizzicato on cello provided a kind of grounding rhythm, and as the piece progressed, fast furious work on cello and viola could perhaps be representing the fighter plane in strafing mode. There was a moment when I felt the violin pizzicato somehow echoed not, as you might expect, Grappelli’s violin, but Django’s guitar. A clever compositional sleight-of-hand.
The audience responded with delight when the kazoo made an impish textural interjection. Spitfire is an exciting work, full of unexpected twists and turns, and a bit of fun.
If you can think of a more delightful way to spend an hour than listening to musicians at the peak of their powers playing both a timeless classic and a fascinating modern work in such a stunning setting, then I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts.
The musicians
Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A major, K581: Alexander Morris, clarinet; Lerida Delbridge, violin; Sophie Cole, violin; Justin Williams, viola; Timothy Nankervis, cello
Harrison, Spitfire: Alexander Morris, clarinet; Lerida Delbridge, violin; Justin Williams, viola; Timothy Nankervis, cello
TAGS
#SydneySymphonyOrchestra, #SSO, #Mozart, #clarinet #HollyHarrison
Lovely review! Wish I’d been there and I’ll certainly look out for future concerts in the series.
Sounds wonderful! I’ll have to make it a date!