Conducted by Shilong
Ye and Leonard Weiss
Music For Canberra
Overture Hall, Orana
Steiner School, Weston
Reviewed by Len Power
6 April 2019
In their first concert for 2019, the James McCusker
Orchestra and the Canberra Youth Orchestra joined forces for an enjoyable
afternoon of orchestral works that are well-known family favourites.
Music For Canberra, a non-profit organisation with a
community focus, offers Canberra’s largest program of instrumental, ensemble
and orchestral tuition, musical experiences and workshops, and performance
opportunities.
The Canberra Youth Orchestra (CYO) is the premier youth
symphony orchestra in the ACT and wider region.
The orchestra performs a diverse range of repertoire and features
world-renowned soloists. The James
McCusker Orchestra (JMO) is Music For Canberra’s second or training orchestra
in the performance pathway, sitting just prior to the Canberra Youth Orchestra. It enables young players to gain exposure to
the fundamentals of orchestral ensemble playing, as they develop their musical
skills. The orchestra works towards
regular performances at venues and community events. JMO musicians typically progress to the CYO as
they develop musically.
Being the first concert for the year, a show of hands
indicated the large number of new members in both orchestras. That they played so well was a credit to them
all and their conductors.
The James McCusker Orchestra, conducted by Shilong Ye,
commenced the concert with Ennio Morricone’s ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’, originally written
for the movie, ‘The Mission’. This was followed
with the third movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘English Folk Song Suite’. These very different works were played very
well by the orchestra.
The Canberra Youth Orchestra, under the baton of Leonard Weiss,
then gave a colourful and enjoyable performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Russian
Easter Festival Overture’. The spirited finale
was especially well-played.
Both orchestras then combined on stage to play two movements
of Bizet’s ‘L’Alésienne Suite No. 1’. Leonard
Weiss conducted the first movement and Shilong Ye conducted the second. The musicians gave a fine performance of this
popular French work. In the first movement,
the lyrical passages were sweetly played and the rousing finale of the second movement
was exciting with the large number of musicians playing confidently and
accurately together.
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on the Artsound FM 92.7 ‘In the Foyer’ program on Mondays
and Wednesdays at 3.30pm.
