BY JACQUELINE PACE
Zelman Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Mark Shiell, flute Sally Walker
Victorian premiere of ‘Night and Now’ by Elena Kats-Chernin; Suite from ‘The Nutcracker’ Op. 71a by Tchaikovsky, and Symphonic Dances Op. 45 by Rachmaninov.
Eldon Hogan Performing Arts Centre, 5 December
It was obvious right away that there was something special planned for this concert. There was a sell-out crowd and the orchestra’s members appeared excited. A program with a strong Russian influence was prepared and it was evident the musicians had studied their parts extensively. There was some fine solo playing right through the Tchaikovsky and from the saxophone soloist in the Rachmaninov. Aside from a few intonation problems, the well-rehearsed Zelman Symphony Orchestra played well throughout the program with conductor Mark Shiell giving clear directions. The influence of the late Professor John Hopkins was evident.
There were two special guests present – composer Elena Kats-Chernin and flute soloist Sally Walker. Later in the program, we heard the Victorian premiere of ‘Night and Now’, Kats-Chernin’s newly composed flute concerto. ‘Night and Now’ was commissioned by Walker, who has played full-time with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, toured with the Berlin Philharmonic and performed as Guest Principal Flute with countless other orchestras. During a trip back to Australia, she met the composer’s son and established a friendship with Kats-Chernin. ‘Night and Now’ was composed years later, when Walker had moved back to Australia.
During the pre-concert talk, Kats-Chernin spoke about the relationship between her newly composed flute concerto and her childhood. When she mentioned Russian “fairy stories”, I immediately thought of Prokofiev’s ‘Cinderella’ ballet score. This can be heard in the harmonic language used, particularly in the opening movement. Walker said: “Although I have been reminded of Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, Scriabin, Bach, Bernstein and Satie at differing points of the concerto, there is not a direct quote from any of these composers”. This leads me to believe that including the essence of other composers’ writing also relates to Kats-Chernin’s childhood – perhaps a reference to her own development as a musician.
The concerto opened with dark melodies in the flute solo, over haunting strings. Walker’s beautiful tone and control of changes in vibrato enhanced the flute melody. The program notes told us this movement was inspired by “two imagined Russian fairy tales…one taking place deep in the woods…the other is in a silvery castle”. The contrasting, canonic second movement of the concerto was inspired by the composer’s experience of waiting in the queue for food. This movement shows a range of emotions associated with “lining up for hours for one loaf of bread”, the joy her family would feel when they were able to obtain food which was rarely available and “the perseverance and sometimes ultimate disappointment that had to be faced when food just ran out”. Again, in this movement Walker shone as soloist, with clean articulation and musically considered phrasing.
The final movement began with a solo cadenza, which included fragments of previous material. When I asked Walker about her interpretation of the cadenza, she said: “I reflected on Elena’s writing that this piece is about Russian fairy tales and specifically imagined the foreboding woods here, with the flutter tonguing being shivering, or a rustle of leaves or an animal shaking its pelt and the pitch bend a lonely call into the ether…”. The cadenza propels into a tarantella in 12/8.
‘Night and Now‘ is both pleasing to the ear and well suited to the solo instrument. I have no doubt this concerto will be considered standard flute repertoire in years to come.
About Jacqueline Pace
Jacqueline Pace has performed in the masterclasses of international artists such as Wissam Boustany, Paul Edmund-Davies and Leone Buyse. She is a former member of the University of Melbourne Orchestra and Melbourne Youth Orchestra. Jacqueline holds a Master of Music Studies from the University of Melbourne and was awarded 1st place at the 2nd Queensland Woodwind and Brass Competition. In 2012-2013, Jacqueline studied in the United Kingdom. Since returning to Australia, Jacqueline has appeared as a guest artist with the Monash University Flute Ensemble at the Australian Flute Festival and has been added to the casual list at Orchestra Victoria. She is also a woodwind teacher and volunteers as a content manager at Flute Tutor Australia, which promotes flute playing and flute-related events.
Image supplied.
