A romantic evening with a surprise twist, The West Australian Symphony Orchestra, under the baton (or rather hands) of Dutch guest conductor Otto Tausk delivered a rich emotional tapestry headlined by Schumann’s Cello Concerto on the 27th of June. Despite the program filled with the lush music of Schumann, Sibelius, and Brahms, it was the surprise entries which made this concert so enticing.
Observing the program before the show, I was surprised by the inclusion of Hadyn’s The Creation: Overture. This proud, classical work seems to stick out amongst the rest of the highly expressive repertoire. It was, however, a highlight of the program seeing how effortlessly Hadyn became Sibelius’s The Swan of Tuonela – so seamlessly that for a moment I lost track of which piece I was hearing. Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and history conducting and recording with some of the most storied orchestras across the world, Tausk has built a reputation for bringing new creativity to the ever-aging orchestral repertoire and this choice demonstrated just why he has built such a reputation. Special mention goes to Principal Cor Anglais Jonathan Ryan for his soaring imitation of the swan which sang above the orchestra with sweetness and gentle hoarseness, giving resonance to the song.
WASO’s Schumann’s Cello Concerto. Photography by Daniel J Grant.
French-Belarussian Cellist Ivan Karizna joined the orchestra for the main event of the evening with an electric energy as he walked onto the stage to greet the orchestra. The acclaimed bronze medal winner at the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition has just come from performing Dvořák and Hadyn with the Queensland and Tasmanian Symphony orchestras respectively. He brought to Winthrop Hall an embodied sound and interpretation to Schumann’s Cello Concerto breathing with every phrase and note. There is a danger with this concerto that without complete commitment it can float through half an hour without ever capturing the listener and drawing them in – Karizna avoided this hazard with a dynamic and raw performance. Recognising the life breathed into the piece, there were moments of delicacy wherein I wished the cello had not been overpowered, much like Glen Gould’s notorious singing and humming, by the sound of Karizna breathing deeply with the music.
Karizna’s solo encore brought the second shock of the evening. A folksong-like piece of music featuring a new use of the cellist’s voice as he sang over the drones and harmonics of the cello. Neither I nor a brain trust of other musicians in the audience were able to identify the piece (so if you know it please do get in touch) and have concluded the work was a concoction of Karizna’s own devising. Showing off both virtuosity and restraint, Karizna demonstrated a vulnerability which is so often unseen by soloists of the classical stage.
WASO’s Schumann’s Cello Concerto. Photography by Daniel J Grant.
Following the intermission was Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. A lyrical work, clouded with a sense of longing and darkness, it demands the music be embraced and felt wholeheartedly. Throughout the evening Conductor Tausk did not once pick up a baton, choosing instead to gently manicure the colour and texture of the orchestra with his empty hands. Not the headline in program or in performance, this work did not provide the same captivating sense of emotion nor creativity as those of the first half. Stripped of its contemporary relevance nearly 200 years since its writing, works like these demand orchestras provide something for contemporary audiences to latch onto the first half the program delivered on this need yet Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, while by no means played poorly or without emotion, lacked something that engaged me in the work.
I may be a regular critic of programs lacking music by living or local composers but this edition of the MACA Symphonic series demonstrated in its first half, that it is possible to give relevance to a program without such pieces; it also proved that this relevance needs to be chased and sought in historical repertoire and I hope to see more of this in future works. Tausk now travels to Adelaide where he will conduct Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No .6.