Good evening of driving, highly effective music

Music / “Ilya Gringolts performs Bruch”, Australian Chamber Orchestra. At Llewellyn Corridor, February 15. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY.

DIRECTING the Australian Chamber Orchestra whereas Richard Tognetti is abroad, the violinist Ilya Gringolts led an thrilling program of music that thrilled a capability viewers in Llewellyn Corridor.

Opening with Felix Mendelssohn’s “String Symphony No.13 in C minor”, “Symphoniesatz”, with a nod to the baroque, this ravishing music has playful and critical sections. The strings observe one another round in a theme that builds and maintains its profound assertion. It is a good piece of music.

Commissioned by the ACO, the Sydney-based composer Harry Sdraulig, says about his work titled, “Slanted”, a world premiere, that it’s “a set of 18 variations on a gap theme which, because the title suggests, is ‘slanted’ in its pitch structure”.

Whereas this sounds technical, it’s a artful composition approach and in addition one which comprises delicate writing whereas holding quick to a vivid modern sound. It’s actually well-written and makes good use of the expressive strings, although at instances it reminded of the methods Bernard Herrmann used within the film “Psycho”.

Whereas holding some lush textures, particularly in softer moments, it was not completely coherent as one piece, however nonetheless a helpful new work.

Swiss composer Frank Martin was commissioned by violinist Yehudi Menuhin in 1973 to compose, “Polyptyque”. Influenced by spiritual content material, this six-movement work has sections titled “Palm Sunday”, “The Final Supper”, and such. It’s a assortment of musical photographs from numerous episodes of the Ardour.

This critical, contemporary-sounding work was filled with angst and despair. It made nice use of the expressive qualities of every part of the string orchestra in opposition to each other, and a few unbelievably delicate music and taking part in from Gringolts on lead violin. That is a unprecedented composition of the very best calibre, and so was the taking part in. I can’t wait to listen to it once more.

After the interval, the “Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor”, Op.26, by Max Bruch, (arr. Bernard Rofe). Carried out by Gringolts, with the ACO string gamers and timpani, this can be a dynamic work with a robust rhythmical nature.

The German romantic composer Bruch was additionally a violinist, and does it present. The idiomatic writing for violin on this concerto demonstrates the violin at its greatest. With timpani included, it took on a way more orchestral really feel. The scope of this concerto is equalled by its content material. The whole lot is expressed with the very best diploma of ability, wrapped in a superbly shaped building with the deepest emotional content material. One might by no means tire of listening to this good piece of writing, or the world-class taking part in of Gringolts and the ACO.

Ending with the “Concerto for String Orchestra”, by Polish composer, Grażyna Bacewicz, which is claimed to be her magnum opus, is an incredible brief work.

This was an evening of driving, highly effective music, and this concerto was nearly as good as something carried out tonight. The music instantly hit the heights. The robust use of crescendo and diminuendo flavoured this work. The voice of the music sweeping throughout virtually each single instrument in an echoing type gave it a mysterious really feel.

The misplaced and off-in-the-distance really feel of the sluggish second motion completely balanced out in opposition to the targeted first half. However the third motion, was an assault of dynamic movement. It rushes at a listener with depth and vibrancy. It accomplished an thrilling live performance of highly effective music, and a efficiency to match.