As fresh as ever, MSO’s Four Seasons delights young crowd

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As fresh as ever, MSO’s Four Seasons delights young crowd

By Tony Way

CLASSICAL MUSIC

VIVALDI’S THE FOUR SEASONS ★★★½

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Hamer Hall, May 7

Evergreen, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons has defied changing seasons of taste to remain a firm favourite ever since its re-popularisation last century. This concert proved no exception; a capacity crowd flocking to hear four soloists drawn from the ranks of the Melbourne Symphony’s violins lead these perennial classics.

Four Seasons, in autumn.

Four Seasons, in autumn.Credit: Craig Abraham

Tiffany Cheng radiated spring joy with a sprightly, straightforward account of the opening concerto, while Kathryn Taylor brought an admirable evenness of tone to Summer, finishing ebulliently.

In the outer movements of Autumn, Anne-Marie Johnson demonstrated sharp musical reflexes in her rapid interaction with cellist Rohan da Korte and harpsichordist Donald Nicolson, who provided the responsive and all-important basso continuo foundation for these works.

Tair Khimsambeev then rose from the concertmaster’s chair for Winter, contributing a stylishly ornamented line to the slow movement and displaying plenty of quick-witted flexibility in the finale.

These conductor-less, chamber-style performances were effectively animated by the soloists, and after some initial moments of disconnection between upper and lower registers, the orchestra knit together into a taut ensemble. While the music may hold few serious technical challenges, the players rose ably to the critical challenge of ensuring that these potential warhorses sounded fresh and unhackneyed, within the constraints of conventional performance practice.

Balancing the early music came two more contemporary works ably conducted by Nicholas Bochner. Paul Stanhope’s Dancing on Clouds evokes a gentle, buoyant optimism born out of experience at a children’s hospital. Only a seasoned composer could deploy such a variety of string effects with such surety and lightness of touch. Inspired by singer-activist Paul Robeson, Strut by Michael Daugherty describes a confident Robeson striding down a Harlem street, powered by frenetic, if formulaic, rhythms.

The promise of future seasons of concertgoing by the many younger audience members present made this positive encounter with Vivaldi’s Seasons worthwhile.

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