The audience at the ABC Centre’s Eugene Goossens Hall were treated to an all-Russian programme from TMO for its Met Concert #4. Titled ‘Fever’, It presented works from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by three giants of the Russian music scene . From the evening’s striking opening chord, it was clear that the Russian music would be celebrated with focussed energy, interpretative skill and frisson by the Australian artists.
Joining this busy Australian orchestra as soloist was pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska. Through her recording, broadcasting, editing and concert work , Tamara-Anna has proved herself over and over to be one of this country’s great musical humans. Who better to join the joyous musical souls of the large-format TMO to clearly present the heat and diverse complexities of the programmed Russian music.
TMO offered us carefully-placed ‘feverish’ jubilation and the thrilling colours of full orchestra with large percussion section throughout. Under the experience and guidance of Sarah-Grace Williams the orchestra illustrated how the force of Russian musical climaxes are often soon followed or juxtaposed with the subtlety of caricature and introspection on a more tender and subtle level.
Such intimate moments, which so often are fleeting, require considerable maturity and precision from musicians. Mature and controlled delivery continually flowed from the stage during this successful performance event. To begin the evening, TMO presented Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov. Consistently strong attack and full tone from the orchestra ensured this tribute to Spanish dance forms and song styles was always vibrant and vivid.
This opening orchestral work in the hands of TMO and its conductor had many fine and controlled feverish climaxes to please the crowd. It also benefitted from TMO’s great clarity of sound and shape, which was a fitting salute to the skilled orchestral sculpturing of the Russian composer at hand.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s guarantee of extra colour in this work through writing numerous solo spots was achieved by TMO’s sectional principals with clean exchanges and contrast across the orchestra. Balance of solo tone against the rest of TMO was always completely under control during these exchanges.
Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No 2, Op 102 was next performed with a capable delivery of feverish fun alongside cooler contemplation. The two Allegro movements bookending the calmer comment of the central Andante were played with well-shaped verve. The interplay of key motives between orchestral and soloist parts were presented with equal intensity and nicely matched contours .
When the piano solo part shifted from thematic presentation to filigree and this concerto’s signature octave movement there was no decrease in keyboard clarity or direction. Tamara-Anna Cislowska’s virtuosic control over the leaping octaves never discounted the jubilation and lighter emotional approach of Shostakovich in this work.
Tamara-Anna Cislowska displayed both the impressive expressive resources of her pianism as well as Shostakovich’s successful less-is-more style of eloquence in the middle movement.
We witnessed a breathtakingly beautiful tracing of the melody and accompaniment in this movement’s communication. This pianist ensured the sparse texture was full of much finely graded nuance. The gently drawn lines were enriched with so much more searching emotions than the measured calm on the surface.
Following interval TMO once more reached an amazing fever pitch in its interpretation of the Symphonic Dances Op 45 by Rachmaninoff. The work’s many exciting full orchestra moments came in the form of strongly articulated and driven climaxes. These were at all times kept well under control and excellently measured against their surroundings.
TMO played with impressive depth of tone in this work. The strict and unified string section and bold attack from the brass and wind choirs ensured that successful soundscapes resulted. TMO’s ability to capture the essence of shifting musical ideas, however fleeting, and management of changes from full climax to intimate interludes here made them suitable and world class interpreters of the complexities of Russian music.
In this, their tenth anniversary year, TMO continues to solidly demonstrate it is an orchestra which always offers thrilling programmes to its audience. The next and final Met Concert for 2018 takes place at the end of October and is no exception in this regard. It features a world premiere of an Australian work as well as the Elgar Cello Concerto and Cesar Franck’s mighty Symphony in D minor.