Following on from May’s magical evening of Beethoven’s piano concerti, Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO), along with soloist-in-residence Nikolai Demidenko, completed the cycle with a second concert on Saturday 15 October.
The concert began on a slightly sombre note, with sad reflection on the recent untimely death of First Violinist Stephen Phillips, to whom this performance was dedicated. Saturday’s programme presented more of a balance between purely orchestral work and the concerti than the concert in May, which had a single overture partnered with three concerti.
With Vassilis Christopoulos conducting, the orchestra opened with the stirring 'Egmont Overture' – written two years after his fifth symphony, this well-known piece is similarly dramatic and uplifting, with typical stately drama from the opening bars, passionate gestures and heavy silences.
This was followed hors-de-programme with a QSO ‘snapshot commission’ by acclaimed Melbourne Composer and Jazz pianist, Joe Chindamo. The reception of this delightfully engaging piece was, however, hampered by its omission from the programme, causing widespread confusion in the audience; indeed, it was only announced after the interval!
We suspect that this omission was unintentional, but it somewhat detracted from our appreciation of the piece, as, rather than immersing ourselves in the music, we were trying to make sense of its inclusion; there is an element of anticipation inherent in one’s enjoyment of a concert, which was denied us for a moment – we would very much like to hear this again!
Click here for socials from the event.
Piano concerto No. 2 was in fact the first of its form composed by Beethoven. Largely a vehicle intended to establish his credentials as a virtuoso pianist, it has often been described as 'struggling to effectively combine the voices of piano and orchestra'. As such, you occasionally feel as if you are listening to two pieces of music being played simultaneously; two very good pieces of music, but two pieces nonetheless. It is not always easy to listen to, and reportedly not that easy to play, either. Demidenko’s deft handling of seemingly impossibly fast scales and arpeggios was breathtaking, and was complemented by suitably resolute orchestral conducting and performance. After the reflective, nostalgic tone of the central adagio, the final movement set a frisky pace, with the later cyclical teasing ebb and flow of the music flirting with the finale.
After the interval, the thrillingly grande Leonore Overture No.3 instantly captivated the audience with its prominent brass (including off-stage trumpet, courtesy of Sarah Butler) and exhilaratingly intense strings. With sudden changes in mood and volume, this electrifying piece replete with frenzied bow sweeps and vigorous conducting was hugely satisfying, and set the audience up for the finale.
By the time he wrote Piano Concerto No.5, Beethoven had clearly mastered the interplay between piano and orchestra in the concerto form, and the piece exhibits a deeply pleasing coherence. Variously imposing and introspective, the piece also contains some of the most rational – but at the same time harmonic – pizzicato playing that you are ever likely to hear; it’s not an easy technique, and to have achieved this delicate shading of sound across the entire strings section was both remarkable and commendable.
Ludwig van Beethoven – Egmont, Op.84, Overture
Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat, Op.19
Ludwig van Beethoven – Leonore - Overture No.3, Op.72
Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat, Op.73, ‘Emperor’
