Australian Haydn Ensemble’s electric Pastoral Symphony

Australian Haydn Ensemble: Beethoven’s Pastoral

City Recital Hall, 7 June 2021

When one signs up for an “ensemble” rather than an “orchestral” concert featuring a Beethoven symphony, one could be excused for having reservations.

In this instance, the ensemble consisted of two violins, two violas, cello, double bass and flute.

Boccherini’s String Sextet in F minor Op 23 No 4 was the only “non-reduced” work on the program. The original scoring was for two cellos instead of cello and double bass. Using the bass was a bit of an economic compromise here I suspect; it was definitely a good idea for the other works on the program, so it avoided having to engage another player; understandable, considering the financial stress Covid has placed on performing arts in Australia. Also, back when this concert was being planned, a small socially distanced ensemble probably seemed like an imperative.

This is a work full of contrasts. The first and third movement relish in the dark key of F minor and the ensemble handled this beautifully with appropriate tone, sostenuto articulation and emphasis on the inner parts to thicken the textures. I loved the falling phrases and Karina Schmitz’ viola passage featured in the Grave assai. The second movement, a minuet and trio, was light and bright by contrast, enlivened by fun syncopation and sprightly articulation. The fourth was also jaunty with only brief echos in the minor key, before returning to the cheerfulness.

The other two works on the program are both chamber reductions of orchestral works. It was common practice during the 18th and 19th centuries, prior to the prevalence of gramophone recordings, to make reductions of larger works for small ensembles or keyboard. It made the music accessible to musicians and amateurs outside the concert hall, so their purpose was not usually for concert performance. However, some of these arrangements hold up well as works in their own right. Think of Bach’s arrangements for organ of Vivaldi concertos, or Liszt’s transcriptions of about 100 other composers.

Compositionally speaking, Mozart’s “Haffner” Serenade in D major K250 has had the stuffing loved out of it. Originally for string, woodwind and brass orchestra, Mozart himself reduced the work from seven to five movements. Then the Italian composer Girolamo Masi further reduced it to four, and rescored it for septet resources as presented here, adding new material along the way. Some of this material is not really up to Mozart’s compositional standard. No criticism of Melissa Farrow’s playing here, but in the first movement the flute part plays mainly long held notes, like a harmony part, but its conspicuous high treble and tonal differentiation from the strings elevates the line to unwarranted attention. Mozart himself would not have added such a conspicuous instrument as a mere afterthought. The program notes also mention that the Adagio introduction to the last movement is entirely Masi’s. Again here, the material lacks musical impetus and really serves only as contrast to make the following Allegro seem exciting.

The work was well played, though in the first and last movements it felt as if the textures missed the orchestral rendering. The lighter inner movements however, worked well in their chamber setting, and the flute part was well integrated here.

Of the reductions, it was the prospect of the title work, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony (No 6 in F Op 68, arr. Watts) that most filled me with trepidation. Would the storm scene be underwhelming? I had visions of the Hoffnung recorder consort playing Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture…

I need not have worried. The ensemble’s performance was electric. The texture was rich when it was needed and transparent when the sun shone through the clouds. The dynamic range they achieved seemed enormous. During the storm the excitement caught in my throat. Their commitment and intensity was unmatched by any orchestral version I have heard.

Farrow’s birdsongs on the flute were exquisite and if you were going to have just one non-string instrument, the flute is the obvious choice. Impressive too was her gentle articulation in the barcarole-like second movement.

The double bass, about which I had reservations in the Boccherini, was of course essential here, and added great depth.

The Pastoral Symphony was the outstanding success in this concert. It is so impressive that such a small ensemble can bring a new awareness to a well-known work and give it an injection of new life. I stand in awe of what they were able to do with this work.