BY SAMUEL COTTELL
‘The Idea of Spain’
North Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Steven Hillinger, pianist Daniel Rojas
Works by Albeniz, Rojas, De Falla, Granados and Marquez
Smith Auditorium, Shore School Sydney, 20 September
The North Sydney Symphony Orchestra has a long history. It was founded in 1947 by Dr Alan Bellhouse; husband of perhaps the most famous music theory textbook author Dulcie Holland. Considering this, the orchestra has a very fine foundation on which it has built its musical excellence. In its program ‘The Idea of Spain’ the NSSO investigated the pulsing, rhythmic and energetic music of place, through a selection of works that provided a broad overview of the influences of this catchy musical style.
The concert began with two movements from Albeniz’s ‘Suite Espagnole’. The orchestra commenced with an exciting rendition of ‘Sevilla’. The pacing and tempo were spot on and not rushed, and this allowed each musical line to be heard amongst the greater landscape of the orchestration. A mention must be given to the extremely strong woodwind section which informed the core of the orchestra. Beautifully mellow and lilting oboe solos contrasted with tender flute solos wove their way across the cushion of sound provided by the lush strings.
The second item on offer, and the piece at the heart of this program that connected all of the music together, was Daniel Rojas’ Piano Concerto No 1. Daniel, who has a Chilean background, composed this work in 2006 when he was looking for his own sound as a composer. He explored this sound through his cultural heritage, and the result is a stunning convergence of Peruvian, Chilean and Latin American infused musical ideas that has been stylised to suite a symphony orchestra (and this is no easy task). He turns a classical symphony orchestra into a large salsa band. When the trumpet and flute had their solos, they also stood, an act which heightened the rhythmic excitement occurring in the first movement.
A key feature of the concerto is the cadenzas that are peppered throughout the work, allowing the solo pianist moments to shine and to respond to his thoughts and feelings in the moment. Daniel is known for improvising and throughout the work each improvisation captured a unique moment in time and space that will never be heard again. In fact, the concerto opened with a solo cadenza before Daniel set up the rhythmic pulse, beckoning to the orchestra to enter.
Daniel’s piano playing was intuitive, highly charged and full of zest and life. In contrast to this, the slower, softer musical episodes provided gentle lullaby-like melodies, and I felt as though Daniel was showing me moments of his thoughts about Chile and the other places that inspired this music. Daniel seems to know and deeply understand the piano and its capabilities. At times, he explored the extreme parts of the piano, displaying a pounding bass (that was never heavy but perfectly balanced) and a glistening upper register. It’s what he does with the middle section of the piano that gives his music this tender overtone. He gently caresses melodies from the mid section of the piano, adding a little dissonance and then delving into a delightful melodic episode.
Daniel shone like gold in the second movement, his tenderly crafted improvisations and subtle, yet vibrant, valse melody gracefully appearing in various guises. A special mention should be given to the percussion section who held their own during some complex rhythmic writing – if they ever wanted a gig in a salsa band, they would probably be welcomed. Daniel gives you everything in his playing – he reveals the very essence of his character and soul but, like any clever composer, he leaves you wanting more.
The second half provided another glimpse of Spanish infused music of a different nature. Granados’ ‘Three Spanish Dances’, originally written for piano and here in its orchestrated form, features kaleidoscopic episodes of harmony and rhythm. The orchestra approached these dances in a highly considered and delicate way, particularly the opening ‘Oriental’, again demonstrating the high calibre of the woodwind section. This movement had the orchestra demonstrating how well they could shade musical line and phrase and they produced a performance to be relished.
Conductor Steven Hillinger then turned to the audience and talked about Marquez’s ‘Danzon No 2’, explaining that it was now one of his favourite pieces, and I can certainly see why. The piece began with piano (with Daniel returning to play the orchestral piano part) and clarinet, as well as pizzicato strings and woodblock, setting up the musical idea. From this rhythmic impetus, a music feast poured forth from the orchestra in a celebration of life, love and passion. Again, the woodwind section displayed their tight ensemble work and formed the core of the ensemble, particularly in this piece. The steely work of the brass players added colourful punctuations, driving the energy of the music to its peak. The soloists were again featured here and of note was concertmaster Maria Lindsay’s floating violin solo that glided above the string section (which was lush as a silk scarf). This piece gave a big bang to end the concert and had the audience on its feet after such a highly charged and spirited performance.
This is a group that gives the leading professional orchestras a run for their money. Its high calibre of musical excellence and considered tempos and phrasing under the baton of Steven Hillinger demonstrated that the group is capable of any musical feat, no matter the challenge.
This was a musical feast, and it’s a good sign when you see half the audience members bobbing their heads, tapping their feet and swaying to this rhythmically infused, passionate music. The concert started with the question: ‘What is the idea of Spain?’. Well, when performed by the North Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the idea of Spain is unbridled passion and commitment as well as high energy music making.
Image supplied.
