Wesley Uniting
Church, Forrest 27 July
Reviewed by Len Power
On the 21st of July 2018, Canberra Sinfonia gave
their inaugural concert – a program of Mozart and Schubert, conducted by
Leonard Weiss. Their patron, singer
Louise Page, stated in the program for that concert that ‘one of the hardest
times in a young musician’s life is bridging the gap between student training
and employment with an established musical body’. Canberra Sinfonia was created to help bridge
that gap.
Now, a year and several memorable performances later, they
celebrated their first birthday with a concert of music by Haydn and Wagner,
again conducted by Leonard Weiss.
The program commenced with ‘Siegfried Idyll’ by Richard
Wagner. Composed as a birthday present
to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son, Siegfried, in 1869,
the piece received its premiere in 1870 at the Wagners’ villa in Switzerland,
with Cosima awaking to its opening melody.
Wagner’s opera, ‘Siegfried’, which premiered in 1876, incorporates music
from the ‘Idyll’.
The orchestra gave a fine performance of this atmospheric
work. There was a great confidence and
clarity in their playing, bringing out the full colour in the music.
 |
| Conductor: Leonard Weiss |
Haydn’s Symphony No. 92 in G major made up the second half
of the concert. It was composed in Paris
in 1789 and was later given the nickname of the ‘Oxford’ symphony in the
mistaken belief that Haydn had played it in 1791 in Oxford when he received an
honorary doctorate. In fact, he played a
minuet which is heard in Haydn’s 1772 symphony no. 47.
The orchestra gave an especially strong performance of the
second half of the first movement. There
was a real sense of excitement in their playing, edgy and crisp and very
satisfying.
The melodies in the adagio second movement were played with
warmth and sensitivity. The orchestra
played the last two movements with great skill and accuracy, handling Haydn’s
witty timing elements very well.
Canberra Sinfonia demonstrated with this birthday concert
that they are a major force in the Canberra musical scene. These young musicians have gone from strength
to strength in the past year, demonstrating a high level of skill and maturity
in their playing.
Photos by Peter Hislop
This review was first
published in the Canberra City News digital edition of 28 July 2019
Len Power’s reviews
are also broadcast on the Artsound FM 92.7 ‘In the Foyer’ program on Mondays
and Wednesdays at 3.30pm.