Australian Music: Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Pure Magic, Mahler and Tchaikovsky
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall May 7–9

At first sight a programme of Mahler’s Das Knaben Wunderhorn and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker music might seem to be a strange mix for a programme although they both stem from 19th century romanticism. One is a set of songs about the trials of youth while the other is music for a set of dances, which celebrate children’s fantasies.

The two works provide examples of the ways that childhood can be seen, either as a time of joy or a time of sadness. Many of Mahler’s songs dealt with the notion of death and particularly the death of children as a result of the early death of one of his children and his own premonition of death.

While the Nutcracker ballet itself is somewhat frivolous, the music without the dances has a more serious and introspective feel, not unlike some of the Mahler songs. Soloists Caitlin Hulcup and Randall Scarlata singing the Mahler in the first half of the programme provided a rich and emotional sound that was poignant and, in the second half, the orchestra displayed its real qualities with the glorious Tchaikovsky music.

The Mahler songs range from the tragic to the whimsical, telling tales of young people on the verge of adulthood, encountering love, despair and death. In many of the songs it is the singers who provide the narrative thread as well as some of the emotional responses although it is the orchestra that conveys the starker emotional elements through Mahler’s profound music.

From the very first song “Reveille,” Randall Scarlata showed he had the ability to be both narrator and participant in a tale of a vanquished army and a brave drummer boy. He conveyed the alarm, fear and joy of the soldier, building on the music with its triumphal, hectic insistence.

The sense of drama was continued through to his final song “The Drummer Boy,” telling of a young man on his way to the gallows. Here Scarlata etched his singing with an emotional wretchedness giving the song hopelessness and despair.

He took on different personas in other songs and in “Solace in Misfortune,” standing arms akimbo he took on heroic demeanour, pleased with himself as he delivered his haughty farewell to his girlfriend.

In “The Sentry’s Night Song” in which he sings a sentry’s internal monologue, he brought lightness, harshness and a touch of whimsy, reflecting Mahler’s own ambiguities in playing with emotions. His authoritative voice effortlessly conveyed the drama and the comic and his gestures and facial expressions were well judged and expressive.

The songs that Caitlin Hulcup sang were more reflective and spiritual, reflecting much of Mahler’s own spiritual concerns and the angst he expressed on the plight of children. Her singing of “The Earthly Life” where a child pleads in vain for food was emotionally rich, her voice soaring over the discordant notes as she explored the daughter/mother dialogue. Singing “Little Rhine Legend,” she was animated, with her cherubic face and captivating voice giving the Rhine tale a mesmeric dance-like quality. This song provides a more lighthearted approach and provided a contrast to the darker and more tragic songs. The second half work, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Act II was an opportunity to listen to the music without the visual accompaniment of dances, which can often be a bit tedious within the narrative of the ballet. Played merely for the music the clever construction and inventive melodies of the work are revealed, showing the composer creating a world of strange and exotic locations and characters.

As well as providing music for the dance solos and duos, the music also afforded opportunities for many of the instruments to have starring roles. So we heard the harp, woodwinds and cellos giving stunning individual performances that show the composer’s ability to use the orchestra to create bright worlds of fantasy for children and adults.

The Tea Dance featured the entire string section playing ferociously, creating a whirlwind of sound while the playing of The Sugar Plum Fairy allowed for a subtler version of the piece.

Conductor Mark Wigglesworth at times seemed to become one of the dancers, his body moving from the tensed to the fluid, as animated as one of the characters lifted from the ballet.

Future Concerts

Bach Concertos

Violinists Gil Shaham and Adele Anthony Sydney Opera House July 3-4 JS Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No.6, BWV 1051 JS Bach, Violin Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 JS Bach, Violin Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 JS Bach, Double Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043

Dancing with the Devil

Rachmaninoff & Shostakovich Verdi, Macbeth: Ballet Music Rachmaninoff, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Shostakovich, Symphony No.5 Sydney Opera House August 12–16