With a full house last Saturday, the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Nicholas Braithwaite and featuring the virtuosity of pianist Michael Houstoun, performed a spectacular concert of Jack Speirs’ Fanfare; Beethoven’s Leonora Overture No. 3; Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, ‘From the New World’.
It’s always nice to hear the work of a New Zealand composer, Jack Speirs and the former University of Otago music lecturer’s work was a great start to the concert.
The Beethoven overture was filled with all the drama Beethoven is known for. The opera the overture is from, Fidelio, sits on the outskirts of opera repertoire, but the various overtures composed for it (Beethoven composed four in total) are much more commonly performed. The DSO played the overture with great theatricality, convincingly portraying the narrative of the opera.
Bartok’s final work the Piano Concerto No. 3 was performed with clear understanding of Bartok’s springs of inspiration: the essence of folk music, nature, and Western music tradition. The second movement, modelled off Beethoven’s String Quartet op. 132 ‘Heiliger Dankesang’ was performed with a reflective understanding of Bartok’s inspiration that separates the great orchestras from the good. Michael Houstoun, as usual, played with the virtuosity and sincerity of a clearly very experienced performer.
The second half of the concert was filled with the endless supply of tunes from Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9. Composed to exemplify to American composers the possibilities of using folk music in a Western art music setting, it’s almost impossible to leave a performance of it without humming one of the many melodies Dvorak transitions through within the symphony. The DSO’s spectacular performance of the piece was certainly a hit with the audience, who no doubt had been very much looking forward to the performance of such a universal favourite. Perhaps the only disappointment of the concert was how few students were in the audience. As a large percentage of the orchestra members are Otago University students and staff, it’s a shame that few of their peers attend the regular concerts. More people should appreciate such brilliant performers and genius works. Student tickets can be purchased at the door for $15, check for upcoming concert dates on the DSO website: dso.org.nz