The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Elim Chan, presented a spirited and evocative program of British and European works at Hamer Hall on Saturday afternoon. Anchored by Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, the performance conjured a vivid array of textures and emotional colours, led by the supple touch of Ukrainian Australian pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk.
The program opened with This Midnight Hour by British composer Anna Clyne – a work that established a striking tone with surging low textures and filmic atmosphere. Beginning mid-action, as if immersed in a scene already unfolding, the work’s orchestration painted vivid contrasts: seductive woodwind lines gave way to frenetic bursts, while stylistic juxtapositions – Including waltz gestures that referenced both Hollywood and English folk idioms – lent the piece both familiarity and unpredictability. While inspired by poetry from Baudelaire and Jiménez, its visual and dramatic soundscape invited associations with horror and science fiction. The performance made a strong case for Clyne’s musical voice as a powerful example of contemporary post-minimalist orchestral writing.
Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, composed in 1868 at the age of 24, is a Romantic staple known for its bold thematic writing and Norwegian folk influences. Gavrylyuk gave a commanding and nuanced performance, eschewing cliché for clarity and refinement. His articulation sparkled, especially in the opening movement, where conductor Elim Chan maintained a slightly brisker tempo that allowed the folk-inspired figures to dance rather than thunder. The second movement was the highlight of the performance: its crystalline tone and subtle interplay between pianist and orchestra rendered the slow movement with extraordinary balance and poise.
Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Op. 35, closed the program. Although inspired by the One Thousand and One Nights, the work is less a narrative retelling than a fantasy filtered through the West’s imagined East. Rooted in Russia’s broader orientalist tradition, it prioritises orchestral colour and atmosphere over historical realism. Chromaticism, modal inflection, and lush textures replace any attempt at musical authenticity. Scheherazade defies easy categorization – part symphonic suite, part quasi-concerto – owing largely to the prominence of the recurring solo violin line. Concertmaster Tair Khisambeev delivered this role with lyrical precision and theatrical flair, embodying the voice of Scheherazade with elegance. Harpist Yinuo Mu made full use of the orchestra’s new Lyon & Healy harp, donated by Pauline and David Lawton, contributing a rich tonal warmth in key solo moments. The orchestra’s tutti playing soared in the climactic fourth movement, with Chan leading with dynamic precision and athletic poise in what proved to be an outstanding MSO debut.
This was a performance marked by balance: between narrative and abstraction, tradition and reinvention, individual brilliance and ensemble unity.
Photo supplied.
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Stephen Marino reviewed “Greig’s Piano Concerto”, presented by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Hamer Hall on Saturday 31st May at 2:00pm, 2025.
