A journey worth repeating
Journeys - Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
Christchurch Town Hall
Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd
The Press, November 3, 2008
As far as journeys go, this is one I would eagerly take again. Michael Houstoun was simply stunning, the orchestra and Sir William Southgate were in top form, and the programme was varied and well balanced.
Houstoun never disappoints. His playing and stage presence are unruffled and elegant, his accuracy unerring, and the sounds he draws from the instrument show him to be the master of his craft.
He teased out the delicate threads of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No.5 (The Egyptian) into a performance of great strength, tenderness and depth. He used the piano intelligently as both solo voice and timbral extension to the orchestra with remarkable results.
He also made the technical wizardry appear child’s play, making musical sense of the difficult passages, rather than ripping through them for mere flash effect.
The orchestra’s sensitivity in accompaniment reminded me of just how good an orchestrator Saint-Saëns was. It is rare indeed for me to hear a performance and immediately want to sit through it again, but this was outstanding stuff.
The orchestra’s performance of Franck’s Symphony in D minor was excellent.
Southgate conducted from memory and was absolutely at one with the work, drawing out every nuance and ounce of passion. He truly is a remarkable conductor, sculpting the sound with his baton and engineering perfect mood and tempo changes.
The orchestra responded with a fine display of stamina in this substantial work. Worthy of mention were the excellent solos from the cor anglais (Wendy Coxon) and horn (David Cox) in the second movement, and the perfectly balanced and precise brass playing throughout.
Of course, the strings carried much of the work and produced a robust, focused sound.
One could not have found two more contrasting pieces than those opening each half.
Gareth Farr’s exuberant Te Puna is a typical crowd-pleaser, with insistent rhythmic semaphore on a battery of percussion taking centre stage. Exciting though it was, the small wind ensemble struggled to be heard.
Opening the second half, Liszt’s Orpheus presented a full orchestral canvas. The horn opening was spot on, the players holding their nerve brilliantly when there was nowhere to hide. Similarly well done were the brief violin and cello solos, and it was great to hear the two harps.