Tognetti’s Mozart

While the Australian Chamber Orchestra cleverly combined the names of two certain drawcards, the real interest at this performance was in Tognetti’s Dean. Brett Dean, that is, conductor of his own work, Electric Preludes. As the name suggests, Tognetti played an electric (in more than one sense) violin, although the other performers stayed with more traditional instruments.   First, however, was a symphony by Haydn that may not have been as sensational as the Dean, but which was an eye-opener in its own way. Too often the classical composer languishes in the shadow of his contemporary, Mozart – so it was a daring move to combine the two in the same concert.   However, Haydn, as represented by his Symphony No.49 in F minor, ‘La passione’, proved worthy from the work’s first, solemn note. The evocation of ‘passion’ in the religious rather than the romantic sense both foreshadowed the Romantic period in music and revealed a composer of depth.   The ACO revelled in the beautifully articulated phrases and occasional ‘dialogue’ of the first movement, and the melody and counterpoint of the second. The gleaming horns lent strength to the strings and wind, and Tognetti revealed again his ‘other’ side as a director par excellence. It was a combination that carried the symphony through a fairly sombre minuet and trio to a satisfyingly dramatic finale.   Nothing on the night was as dramatic as the sight of Tognetti’s red electric violin – except, of course, for the use to which it was put. Dean and Tognetti had an evident rapport as they walked onto the stage to begin the first of the six preludes, Abandoned playground. With the ACO they created the sense of a bleak landscape but with frenzied activity – of wind, or memories of children in the space?   Tognetti’s six-stringed electric violin lent itself to a range of dynamics and had an extraordinary capacity to fill the musical space, evoking everything from the Rilke-inspired The beyonds of mirrors to the surprising Berceuse. Surprising, because its turmoil and energy is not what you expect from a lullaby. (But when I asked Brett Dean about it later, he reminded me that children’s bedtimes can indeed be fraught before, like his composition, a peace is finally achieved. I was convinced!).   It would be easy to ignore the role of the other musicians of the ACO in this work. Without them the work would be bleak indeed, but their instruments were used cleverly by Dean for a variety of purposes: to echo the solo violin, to extend ideas, to provide contrasts. The rapport between Tognetti and the players was vital to the successful performance of this work, which was given a warm reception.   As for Mozart who, after all, shared top billing with Tognetti: what can I say? Certainly nothing that would surprise regular followers of the ACO. The ensemble was in familiar territory with the Concerto No.3 K216, ‘Strassburg’, and Tognetti, as soloist, gave a loving, warm performance that certainly showed his (conventional) violin to advantage. This was particularly so in the Adagio, so lovely that it is often to be found as a standalone piece, for example in ‘Best of Mozart’ collections.   That honour is also often given to the first movement of the next work, Mozart’s Symphony No.25 in G minor K183/173dB, largely thanks to the 1984 film, Amadeus. The ACO perfectly delivered the dramatic opening statement, with a sound you might expect from a much larger ensemble.   The rest of the symphony is less known but was a showpiece for winds (in the adagio) and horns (in the minuet and trio) as well as the energetic strings. The final allegro has challenges for a chamber orchestra its full sound and fast pace recalled the superb opening movement, and proved to be a fitting ending for a very enjoyable concert.   Rating: 4 stars out of 5   Tognetti’s Mozart Australian Chamber Orchestra Richard Tognetti: Director & Violin Brett Dean: Conductor & Composer (Electric Preludes)   HAYDN Symphony No.49, “La passione” DEAN Electric Preludes (Australian Premiere) MOZART Violin Concerto No.3 MOZART Symphony No.25   Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne 4 February   Additional dates: Tue 5 Feb: Adelaide Town Hall  Wed 6 Feb: Perth Concert Hall Sun 10 Feb: Sydney Opera House Tue 12 Feb: City Recital Hall Angel Place, Sydney Wed 13 Feb: City Recital Hall Angel Place, Sydney Fri 15 Feb: City Recital Hall Angel Place, Sydney Sat 16 Feb: City Recital Hall Angel Place, Sydney