The multi-coloured gerberas along the front of the stage were a cheering sight on a wintery night and also a good indication of what was to follow musically for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s 2024 Ryman Healthcare Winter Gala.
Following a short video promo and Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Acknowledgement of Country – fluently delivered from memory by percussionist Robert Cossom – pulse rates began to rise with the macho fanfare that initiates Richard Strauss’s Don Juan (1889). This composer’s tone poems are, understandably, great favourites with the orchestra, as they are with audiences. Superb vehicles for showcasing the artistry of the musician, from full orchestral splendour to exquisite solo passages, the colour, variety and essentially melodic nature of the music is immensely appealing.
At the end of an exhilarating performance Maestro Jaime Martin acknowledged the outstanding contributions of the principal oboist, the five glorious horns and Guest Concertmaster, Glenn Christensen. Although the violin solos that appear early in the depiction of the Don’s life tended to be submerged in the orchestral texture, the more exposed solo sounded sweet and clear. The more extended solo for oboe – a strangely poignant passage given the scandalous adventures – was played with beauty of tone and an emphasis on romantic sensibility. It was not only the horns that impressed, the brass as a whole were in great form.
A very different but even more dramatic work followed. Commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, renowned Australian composer, Peter Sculthorpe, Earth Cry was first performed in 1986; but after hearing a very young William Barton and being persuaded to include the didgeridoo/yidaki, he later revised Earth Cry to better portray the vast Australian landscape and soundscape. Sculthorpe has been quoted as saying, “When I first heard William playing Earth Cry, it was summoning up the whole landscape. It was a revelation. What impressed me from when I first met him is that he gets a recording of the piece and plays it maybe 50 times until he gets it inside himself, and then works out what he’s going to do.” After all these years of collaboration it is clear that the trust and mutual understanding created between these two artists is something important and uniquely Australian.
In this performance, the audience first heard the solo yikadi at the back of the stalls, then saw Barton as he slowly progressed down the aisle and onto the stage to take his place seated next to the conductor. Described by Sculthorpe as being in “four parts made up of a quick ritualistic music, framed by slower music of a supplicatory nature, and an extended coda”, the final effect of Earth Cry defies academic analysis; it is the emotional impact of Barton’s playing that evokes a visceral response as he conjures up a crying earth that sometimes appears to wail in agony. Using a second smaller and higher yikadi towards the end of the work, Barton employed an extraordinary array of colourful aural effects, sometimes tapping the wood, but always with breath resonating in almost spoken language.
As he stood tall, grounded and unassuming to acknowledge wild applause, a smaller Jaime Martin standing beside him very briefly leaned his head on Barton’s chest – a warm gesture of affection and respect.
Encores rarely involve the orchestra, but the MSO essentially improvised a mainly drone-like accompaniment under Barton’s direction as he sang his own composition in the language of his people, the Waanyi from the Mt Isa area. Inspired by listening to his Uncle Arthur and hearing songs around the campfire, his singing and playing with the orchestra was unforgettable. Fortunately, we had an interval to savour the moment properly before launching into Carmina Burana.
If Don Juan was an excellent showcase for the orchestra, then Carmina Burana served the same purpose for the MSO Chorus. Bookended by a resounding “O Fortuna” with its weighty drumbeat of doom, both orchestra and chorus gave of their mighty best. The grand statement addressing Fortune is swiftly followed by a softer murmur of complaint. Although diction was precise, the smaller group of tenors and basses needed better projection; however, in more energetic passages when singing alone, the men produced a satisfyingly robust sound. With sopranos on one choir stalls side and altos on the other, the individual lines were clearly distinguishable, the altos being particularly well blended and warm in tone right from the start. Trained with care by their chorus director, Mark O’Leary, the twenty fresh Young Voices of Melbourne sang without a score, alert to Maestro Martin’s guidance for their contributions to The Court of Love section.
A few weeks before the MSO Gala performance, the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic had performed Carmina Burana in the Melbourne Town Hall, and it was impossible to avoid making certain comparisons. Both versions had their strengths. One benefit they shared was Kathryn Radcliffe as the soprano soloist, and it would be difficult to find a singer better equipped to meet the demands of the part. She entered into the joyful spirit of the music while attacking those very high notes cleanly, and sustaining very long notes with excellent breath control. Admirable resonance and a lovely tone on softer notes were further assets.
Scored for high tenor, “The Roasting Swan” is always a highlight, and Kanen Breen’s astonishing performance for the RMP could not have been more theatrical – as well as being vocally secure. Although Orff had envisaged a fully theatrical experience combining all the arts – including costumes and scenery – what we usually have is comparatively sedate. Andrew Goodwin might not have been dressed for roasting, but vocally he was spot on, colouring the text in a way that even those familiar with his highly accomplished singing may not have heard before.
The range and vocal colour demanded by the “bass” part requires a command of everything from sustained falsetto to baritone to manly bass to do justice to the opening number of the “In the Tavern” section. Christopher Tonkin handled all of this well, with his falsetto being particularly successful. Even more impressive was his Abbot of Cockaigne solo, ably abetted by a precise male chorus – and the conductor! Singing without a score to constrain him, Tonkin scored an absolute hit with his drunken outbursts and imaginative theatrics; on the second night it brought enthusiastic applause in addition to the inevitable laughter.
It was a pity that the MSO failed to follow the lead of the RMP when it came to providing the text. Comprising 23 of the published poems from the treasure trove found in the Bavarian abbey of Benediktbeuern in 1803, Carmina Burana is wordy to say the least and a full appreciation of the work comes in being able to follow the text. The MSO did mange to provide a copy of the libretto on the second night, but not enough light to read it.
Despite this grumble, the MSO Gala was a tremendously enjoyable festive occasion. For those who missed out or are keen to relive the experience, a video of the concert is available via MSO.LIVE. Highly recommended viewing.
Photo credit: Laura Manariti
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Heather Leviston attended the Ryman Healthcare Winter Gala: Carmina Burana, presented by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall on July 4 and July 5, 2024.
