BY MOLLY JENKINS
Mood: Mahler and Wagner
Australian Youth Orchestra
Hamer Hall, 14 July
Silence fell over Hamer Hall as the lights began to dim for the Australian Youth Orchestra’s 2024 Winter Season concert Mood: Mahler and Wagner. The night began with Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO’s Long Time Living Here – Musical Acknowledgment of Country, which was originally composed for orchestra and voice. This arrangement for spoken word and string quartet — here featuring the AYO’s string section leaders — resulted in an incredibly intimate and evocative acknowledgment.
Iain Grandage unleashed the full power of the orchestra in his newly commissioned work Overt. A cascading motive, masterfully led by the strings and high winds, was an energetic opening. Dedicated to the generosity of the AYO community, Grandage dispersed joyous bursts of sound throughout the orchestra, playfully moving the audience’s attention between all the instruments on offer. A shift in mood brought the first and only moment of stillness to this work, then a viola section filled the hall with a nostalgic melody, followed by a particularly impressive display of control by the woodwind section as it gently melted into the sound of the surrounding instruments. The use of harmonics in the first violins created an intriguing ice-like translucency before a rumbling undercurrent of ascending scalic passages brought us back to the familiar vibrancy of the opening as Overt erupted into its final moments.
The artistry of conductor Nicholas Carter was immaculate in his interpretation of Wagner’s Prelude and Liebestod. An understated beginning created a simultaneous feeling of sweetness and suspense as a musical conversation unfolded between the cellos and oboes. This tempered approach allowed for a progressive build into the many blossoming climaxes with the brass section’s sensitivity and dynamic capacity standing out. Occasionally tentative entries from the wind and brass were reminders of the sheer scale of this ambitious program, but did not detract from the level of professionalism this group of young people has already reached. Carter drew every drop of emotion and colour from Prelude and Liebestod with the ease of running his hand through water.
The final offering of the night was Mahler’s musings on life in his epic Symphony No.5. The opening trumpet solo was strong, centred, and played with the surety of death. Every note had dedication and weight, which was continually matched as the texture began to thicken. This was balanced with a lilting dance-like melody that alluded to existential questions and denial in the face of mortality. The second movement was like the heart cracking open: the musicians captured powerful moments of all-consuming grief before stabilising with delicate melodies that snaked their way throughout the orchestra. Movement three was filled with an abundance of soloistic moments that were approached with flare and confidence. The playfulness of the glockenspiel, clarity of the violin pizzicato, and potency of the horn were particularly impressive. With an interpretation that was both fragile and assured, the orchestra handled every note with care in the fourth movement, closely followed by a joyous finale.
Left with a well-deserved standing ovation, the entire AYO community was in raptures as it celebrated a night of mature, committed, and inspired music-making. As one of the alumni of AYO’s 2022 Words About Music program, it was a joy to see this organisation’s continued dedication to discovering, nurturing, and showcasing the future of classical music.
Image supplied. Credit Mark Gambino.
