Australian Haydn Ensemble | Beethoven’s 7th
21 August, 2023, Australian Digital Concert Hall
BEETHOVEN
Egmont Overture Op. 84 (arr. Nicolas Mori)
BOCCHERINI
String Quintet in C minor Op. 10, No. 3 G. 267
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 7 in A major Op. 92 (arr. Nicolas Mori)
Skye McIntosh, Artistic Director and violin
Matthew Greco, violin
Karina Schmitz, viola
James Eccles, viola
Daniel Yeadon, cello
Jacqueline Dossor, double bass
Melissa Farrow, flute
At home on a chilly Monday night, recovering from the grippe that’s been going around, it was a pleasure to avoid the accusatory glares of fellow concert goers for the slightest sniffle by enjoying this performance tucked up with my Jack Russell and a steaming hot cup of ginger tea.
The ADCH was a timely innovation during the pandemic and has gone from strength to strength, enabling the healing powers of music to reach music lovers nationwide.
The Beethoven overture and symphony are presented in arrangements by violinist and entrepreneur Nicolas Mori (1796-1839) for the London publisher Lewis Henry Lavenu. Interestingly, Lavenu’s great-great-grandson was the 20th century film star Tyrone Power, made famous for his role in The Mark of Zorro (1940) and the Egmont Overture tonight was suitably rebellious and swashbuckling!
Skye MacIntosh lead the ensemble with almost imperceptible glances and flicks of her eyebrow and proved the true professionalism and bond these musicians share. If watching a whole orchestra play these Beethoven works is like riding a stately cruise liner, experiencing this performance is like racing on a sleek super yacht: wind in your hair, sea-spray in your face and pure exhilaration of the ride. There is a risk and exposure that comes with such intimate and intense playing that lays bare the exultation of this music. The yawning chasm of existential dread of the second movement of the symphony becomes a deep inner mind trip, dissembling thoughts into manageable ideas and a delicate partimento fugue rather than sinking into a sturm-und-drang fugue state and ultimate annihilation. (Can you tell I usually find Beethoven exhausting?)
The Boccherini is music for court entertainment and while pleasant enough, I could only find myself getting interested in the third and fourth movements which were not so melodically repetitive and had much more rhythmic interest. There were echos of Spanish street song, a little over egged by the glissandi ornaments but definitely flavoursome and vigorously dished up.
If you have the chance, you should experience these virtuoso performers in person. Hopefully next time I’ll be able to.
Photo Credit: Oliver Miller
