(James
Grace)
Attractive and unusual programme eventually
brings the house down! (Review by Michael Green)
Music from France, Spain and Brazil made an
attractive and unusual programme for the second Durban City Hall concert of the
KZN Philharmonic Orchestra’s winter season.
The conductor was the Hollander Arjan Tien,
much admired here after 16 years of visiting Durban, and the soloist was the
highly accomplished Cape Town guitarist James Grace.
The evening opened with the well-known Ritual Fire Dance by Manuel de Falla
(1876-1946), the most famous of all Spanish composers. This is, I think, most
often heard in its piano version, but the original orchestral score is highly
effective, and the KZNPO made the most of its strong, fierce rhythms.
The guitar concerto by Heitor Villa-Lobos
(1887-1959) breathes the atmosphere of the composer’s native Brazil. Earlier,
James Grace had joined Liezl-Maret Jacobs at the regular pre-concert lecture
and had illustrated some cello effects achieved on the guitar, and passages
inspired by the rain forests of Brazil.
The performance itself was highly
successful. The work is scored for a small orchestra, about 35 players, so as
not to drown the solo guitar, but even then it is necessary for the soloist to
use an amplifier. The lengthy solo cadenza was particularly impressive.
The encore provided one of the high points
of the entire concert. James Grace played the haunting Memories of the Alhambra written 120 years ago by the Spanish
guitarist Francisco Tarrega. It is difficult and unforgettable, the theme
picked out against a ceaseless tremolo, rapid repeated notes.
We moved to France with Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, written originally
as children’s piano pieces and later expanded to a ballet suite with enchanting
orchestration. Arjan Tien’s expressive conducting style was seen and heard to
particularly good effect here.
Finally Ravel’s most celebrated work, Bolero, was given the full treatment by
the full orchestra, about 70 players. This hypnotic and extraordinary
composition, written in 1928, has always been controversial. Some people find
it dull and repetitious. But there is no denying its compelling power. It is a long, slow, 15-minute crescendo,
starting with a murmur from the drums and ending with a massive blast from all
the instruments. It was brilliantly played
by the KZNPO and it brought the house down. - Michael Green
(For
more information on the KZN Philharmonic, click on the advert at the top of
this page)
Posts
