BY LYDIA MCCLELLAND, WINNER OF THE INAUGURAL CUTCOMMON YOUNG CRITICS’ MENTORSHIP PROGRAM
Australian Haydn Ensemble and friends
Peninsula Summer Music Festival
St John’s Church, 5-7 January (three events)
Our first concert: Australian Haydn Ensemble, 12pm in St John’s Church
St John’s Church in Flinders is classic, featuring stained-glass windows, an old organ, and wooden-domed ceilings. As I arrived for the Australian Haydn Ensemble’s concert, I knew essentially one thing: they used period instruments.
Oh, and one more: they would play exclusively Mozart at this concert. The sight of pews inspired fear in me for thought of my bum, but I was relieved to spot red cushions.
The AHE’s 2019 premiere consisted of a series of three concerts at the Peninsula Summer Music Festival. At its first sold-out concert, keen audience members at the front sat shoulder-to-shoulder. With a generally older demographic represented in the audience, the ensemble carefully respected classical-era traditions but did not shy away from innovation.
Launching into the first item on the program, Mozart’s Flute Quartet in D major, the AHE musicians’ passion was clear. Each musician was smiling (except, of course, the flautist). The flute’s warm sound was a highlight of this quartet, the instrument a six-year-old re-creation of a 1780 model. The accompanying strings’ dynamic swells heightened the excitement, with call-and-response phrases carefully handled. The ensemble observed silences with impeccable sense for timing, emphasising their unification – yet each voice could be clearly distinguished.
The mid-concert talk delivered by AHE artistic director and violinist Skye McIntosh and flautist Melissa Farrow delved briefly into description of the two works, but primarily focused on the use of period instruments. My mind jumped to difficulties: Surely tuning would be a nightmare? However, both musicians instead emphasised the benefits of older instruments – while a modern flute or violin might be more “equalised”, older instruments permitted more variation in tone colour as well as dramatic shaping of phrases. As Skye has claimed, the ensemble truly ensures education is central to their concerts.
The other item in this concert was Mozart’s String Quartet in G major (Spring), a quartet dedicated to Haydn. Some of the most stunning moments of this work were created by darker tone colours, engulfing the small church in a rich sound which seemed larger than the product of four musicians. The frenetic, layered Molto allegro fourth movement was the perfect way to draw the concert to a close.
Our second concert: An Evening with Sara Macliver and the Australian Haydn Ensemble, 7pm in St John’s Church, under the marquee
The AHE escaped outside for its second concert with renowned soprano Sara Macliver. The pre-concert atmosphere bustled with anticipation as the crowd spilled out of a large marquee directly beside St John’s Church. Clusters congregated on the grass on camp chairs or blankets, and I mentally accorded respect to the groups with large cheese platters and wine.
Skye described Boccherini as one of the ensemble’s favourite composers, and the concert opened with his Flute Quintet in G minor. Unfortunately, some of the music’s texture was lost in the challenging open environment. Skye’s speeches were also drowned by the wild outdoors, and would have benefited from a microphone (though I was seated at the very back of the crowd – should have brought a camp chair). A further trial presented itself in the form of gut strings: the AHE members were contending with dropping temperatures and frequently needed to retune.
The location of this concert did, however, come with advantages. PSMF artistic director Ben Opie mentioned in his pre-concert dialogue that such an event could not take place anywhere else.There was something charming about frequent interventions of bird calls including, only once, a sizable murder of crows screaming for attention. The setting allowed a certain conspiratorial spirit among the audience: we were witnesses of an unrepeatable moment.
Sara Macliver shone with the backing of the AHE, and her voice carried well in the open-air acoustic. Her recitatives were particularly stunning; the lone sound in the elements. Vivaldi’s In furore iustissimae irae was a high point, and Sara’s virtuosity was emphasised by the arpeggios in the Alleluia third aria. The resonance of Vivaldi’s work was more vibrant and perhaps better suited to the setting than the sections of Boccherini.
The AHE hit its stride after the interval with Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D major. The ensemble blended seamlessly, with great contrasts in dynamic range and character. As the sun slowly fell, Mozart’s Ach, ich fuhl’s from The Magic Flute set a quasi-ominous mood. It was only by the end of the lingering encore that I noticed full dark had fallen.
Our third concert: Schubert Songs: Australian Haydn Ensemble and David Greco at 2pm, 6 January in St John’s Church
The AHE was accorded a rest of one night before its final performance at the PSMF, back in St John’s Church. Skye described this performance as “explor[ing] all of the different faces of mortality”. It featured baritone David Greco.
David’s theatrical entrance and opening words foreshadowed the dramatism which continued through his vocal performances. Cracking the joke that Schubert today would be a “Guardian reader”, the singer did not shy away from political implications of the works. His expressiveness carried to vocals, with exhilarating crescendos and decrescendos, often on a single note. He paid close attention to vocal delivery, with harshness where appropriate on words such as nacht, contributing to a menacing tone.
The program took us on a journey through the seasons: with Schubert songs, including three from Winterreise; as well as some pieces from Les Quatre Saisons. Sections from this lesser-known work by French composer Félicien David included only summer, spring and autumn, complementing Schubert’s chilly winter. Transitions between composers Schubert and David were seamless, clearly benefiting from Vi King-Lim’s arrangements of the Schubert to match instrumentation in the David pieces.
While one could question the gut-stringed instruments’ suitability to romantic-era repertoire, they did allow some beautiful portamento moments. The AHE played in a rather romantic style, with sharp dynamic vacillations in songs such as Gute Nacht. Der Erlkönig (The Erlking) was a dramatic finale, and its signature frantic opening scales were taken on cello. David Greco’s evocation of different characters was clear, especially in the major-key sections representing the dark fantasy world inhabited by the Erlking.
I now understand more about the AHE than the simple fact they play period instruments. The AHE’s performances brought vivacious energy to PSMF, with the diverse settings of the festival providing a natural backdrop for imagination. This is classical music not intended for the background.
Lydia undertook one-on-one mentorship guided by CutCommon Deputy Editor Lucy Rash, on-location at the 2019 Peninsula Summer Music Festival and digitally outside the event.
Images supplied.
