How many, I wonder, felt a certain sadness during Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's thrilling New Directions concert, being the final of its innovative mid-year series?
Andre de Ridder, a German conductor with cutting-edge credentials, proved the hero of tonight's two hours.
He fashioned a seductive launch pad out of Debussy's L'Apres-midi d'un faune, its sylvan enchantment unfolding in waves of luscious sound, inspired by Masha Popova's flute. The same composer's La Mer closed the evening, with the brilliance of sun-tipped waves and the soaring, sighing rhythms of the sea rendered in full orchestral splendour.
Schoenberg on the bill may have kept some punters away but his 1943 Theme and Variations was extremely palatable. A sweet little march that could have slipped from Mahler or Richard Strauss was ingeniously put through its orchestral paces, delivered with lusty enjoyment by the players.
In the solo spot, violinist Robert McDuffie played Philip Glass. This 1986 concerto is classic minimalism: chattering chords teetered and swooned, stentorian trombones punched out bass lines and, even if Glass's groove isn't for everyone, the momentum was inescapable.
