It’s been a very long time since I’ve attended a performance that was literally breathtaking. The thrill of feeling the body fill up with high vibration tingling, the eyes starting to stream, the grin like a Cheshire Cat and then comes the uncomfortable feeling of realising the breathing has stopped. Such a reaction was completely justified in an evening of pure magic.

The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra opened their season of Gloria & The Four Seasons last night to a full house at the City Recital Hall. Featuring members of the orchestra and Brandenburg choir, there was no need for additional guest artists. The music of Vivaldi speaks for itself and the lack of available seats shows that Sydney can never get enough of The Four Seasons.

The visuals of the performance were unusual and exceptional enough to be mentioned here first. The Orchestra worked in collaboration with Lighting Designer Trent Suidgeest and Stage Director Yaron Lifschitz creating a final package that was stunning to behold. It was a simple concept that made for a powerful and memorable theme. First half, The Four Seasons had us “on the earth” with fluffy, LED lit clouds floating above the stage. Each cloud subtly changed its hue, one by one, to match the seasons, supported by front and back lighting and a touch of smoke to make the most of the proscenium height. The Orchestra members were dressed in white and pale grey reflecting the lighting colours which added so many more layers of texture and richness to the visual impact. (These photos do not do it justice.) They were literally bathed in colour with peaches and apricots of Spring, golden hues of Summer, Autumnal shades backed by a deep navy rain storm and finally, the crisp cold, pale blues and mauves of Winter.

In the second half, Vivaldi’s Gloria was performed in “the heavens” above the fluffy clouds (ok… the clouds were brought down onto the stage but we get the picture) with the choir moving around and between them. Dressing in black for this half of the concert was a wee bit disappointing and not quite as “heavenly” as it could have been but the music definitely hit the heights.

Leading the orchestra for The Four Seasons was Concertmaster Shaun Lee-Chen. Juxtaposed between a laid back stance and grabbing the reigns of the music with both hands, Lee-Chen presented a new interpretation of this famous work.

There seems to be a need amongst musicians around the world to re-invent The Four Seasons so they can offer something fresh for the audience to consume. Do they not see that the tickets sell fast simply because the audience loves the music for what it is? Some parts of the new interpretation worked well — a smidgeon of Jazz, a hoedown beginning for one of the movements in a similar vein to the Red Priest version, some improvised World music styling to link one movement to the next and even a playful, childish ditty which got the audience giggling — but there were many pauses in tempo inserted into the work, so many that they interrupted the flow and the impetus. Another small point was the lack of balance between pushing/pulling the work into a new shape and allowing some movements to “just be”, particularly Adagio movements where simplicity would have been perfection.  Less is more in both these cases. Change it up just enough to make for a few surprises rather than changing the whole work for the sake of change. These are minor points though.

Major kudos must go to the Orchestra – particularly Matthew Bruce and the first violins – for following all the changes of tempo. You could see all musicians were having a ball of a time. Lee-Chen thrilled the audience with his excellent virtuosic skills and high speed phrasing. At the close of The Four Seasons he received three curtain calls, roars and stamping of feet all before interval. Lee-Chen showed his gratitude by dropping in an encore of Bach.

Second half, the music started while the choir was walking on, only to arrive in the nick of time standing on the edge of the stage for their first “Gloria” blasted with harsh, up-lighting for effect. This lighting, along with a couple of fishnet clad legs and mesh skirts (on a few girls), created a flashing reminder of Kander’s musical Cabaret which then relaxed and settled into more conventional staging and lighting.

Soloists for Gloria were sopranos Mia Robinson, Astrid Girdis and male Alto Michael Burden, each working beautifully solo and in unison – great performance. Artistic Director Paul Dyer began in the front row of the stalls offering crisp, clear direction to the choir, then moved up onto the stage, shifting around with the performers – including a solo from Baroque Oboe player Adam Masters – to create an ever changing scene.

The constant movement of the choir members meant there was never a dull moment. The choir were well presented in modern clothes following Dyer’s direction to a T. The audience was thrilled and offered more rousing and generous applause to close the night.

Dyer encouraged the audience to tell friends and family to buy tickets early as the season was selling out. By the end we could understand the need for urgency. These tickets are the hottest in town at the moment.

Don’t miss this wonderful, feast of Vivaldi … and remember to breathe!

Five stars.

Gloria & The Four Seasons continues until Friday 5 May 2023.

Get your Tickets here: https://www.cityrecitalhall.com/whats-on/events/gloria-the-four-seasons/

Program

VIVALDI – Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons) Op.8 No. 1-4

VIVALDI – Gloria in D Major, RV 589

Artists

Shaun Lee-Chen – Baroque violin

Paul Dyer – Harpsichord / conductor

Mia Robinson – Soprano

Michael Burden – Alto

Astrid Girdis – Soprano

Australian Brandenberg Orchestra

Brandenburg Choir

More live concerts from Australian Brandenburg Orchestra: https://www.brandenburg.com.au/live-concerts/