Willoughby Symphony Orchestra | The Lark Ascending
May 4, 2025, The Concourse, Chatswood, NSW
The programme for the latest WSO concert could by no stretch of the imagination be called conventional which of course added to its appeal. The effusive Sarah Penicka-Smith gave an introduction to each work in turn and this was widely appreciated by an enthusiastic and receptive audience. Sarah conducts in an idiosyncratic manner, very laid back and diligent but clearly gets her messages across to a responsive orchestra.
Rossini in his time was more popular than Beethoven and his opera based on Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville outshone Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro”. In passing it is worth mentioning that in the play “Amadeus“ Salieri remarks “Why do all the cats here sing Rossini!”. Quite anachronistic since Rossini was born a year after Mozart’s death! Like many of his operas, The Thieving Magpie is rarely performed but the overture lives on with its lively tunefulness and expressive use of brass and timpani. Rossini lived to a ripe old age but sadly composed very little in the second half of his life.
Mary Finsterer is one of the foremost contemporary Australian composers. Mary composed an opera Antarctica and her research also spawned Lumen Prium Aurore or ‘dawn’s first light’ as a reflection of the Southern Lights. The subject comes from a poem by none other than Hildegard von Bingen who is credited as the first to use the word “Symphony”. Interplay between the woodwinds and strings represents the glimmering light particles with graceful motion.
The notable flautist Jane Rutter then joined the orchestra, firstly in Vivaldi’s flute concerto in D, titled by the composer “The Goldfinch”. I am lucky enough to have heard this song in my native England and certainly the trills and melodies in the two outer movements are reminiscent of the birdsong. The slow central movement is more introspective in sonata form. It is the second successive concert that I have attended where the soloist has used a score and I wonder if this is a trend. Certainly, it goes against tradition, but all rules are made to be broken. Only twenty years ago one of the favourites for the Sydney Piano Competition was disqualified for using a score because he had learnt the wrong Mozart concerto. Certainly, the old habit of not clapping between movements has to a large extent fallen by the wayside.
A jazzy rendition of Bobby Scott’s He’s not heavy, he’s my brother was followed by the ever popular Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan-Williams. This was originally written for violin and piano but later transcribed for violin and orchestra. The superbly lyrical piece lost nothing in the substitution of Jane’s flute for the violin – indeed I think I preferred it. The clarity of the wind instrument imitated the birdsong more accurately and I’ve heard it even more than that of the Goldfinch! The eager reception for this version was nothing compared to that for the encore Phil the Fluters Ball which Jane played not just on the flute but also the Piccolo and the Penny Whistle.
The next piece was surrounded by much anticipation as Charon’s Barcarolle had won the Young Composer of the Year award for Sydney pianist Andrei Hadap. Although on a morbid subject, the transport of the dead across the river Styx, the music is quiet and mysterious based on sixths and Dorian modes. A more dramatic episode emphasises the horror of the situation as displayed by drums and cymbals but the tranquil mood pervades. A prize richly deserved.
The name Morton Lauridsen is new to me but he is the foremost contemporary composer of choral music in the USA. All five movements of his Lux Aeterna have Latin religious titles but are actually devoted to the concept of light and its various forms and concepts. Composed in 1997, the music is spread over a wide range giving plenty of scope for the excellent Willoughby Symphony Choir, although written in response to his mother’s death, the tone of the music is optimistic the light being reflected by major tonalities. The work proved a suitable ending to what was an interesting, varied and overall enjoyable concert.
