KEY POINTS:
The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Farr Horizons concert compensated for smaller audience numbers with a programme that showcased its players at their energetic best.
Conductor Marc Taddei introduced Charles Ives' Three Places in New England at some length. In performance, he gave its first movement sufficient time and space and, from the first few string chords, the work exerted its inexorable power, as the ghostly army of the composers vision trudged past.
"Putnam's Camp" was a glorious mélange of folksiness and good old avant-garderie, as its tunes jostled to be heard, adroitly marshalled by the hyperkinetic Taddei.
The misty ambience of the Housatonic River held sway in the third movement. And Taddei caught the mood of the composer's original song setting, especially when restive ripples stirred up autumn leaves.
At the other end of the programme, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet seemed a little overlong at 50 minutes. However, the conductor had personally chosen the various pieces, carefully tracking the narrative of the original ballet, from Romeo's first appearance to Juliet's death.
Taddei, with all his ballet experience, left no character offstage. Romeo's youthful ardour registered in the warm strings of the opening pages while the child Juliet dashed around with all the volatility of youth.
The popular extracts (the arrival of the guests and the Knight's Dance) were almost flagrant in their power. Tybalt died with all the necessary shivers.
Gareth Farr's Triple Concerto gave the concert its title.
The NZ Trio, as soloists, dominated the first movement, with orchestral bursts skilfully manoeuvred by Taddei. There was fluency in the writing, and alert playing from Justine Cormack, Ashley Brown and Sarah Watkins but, compositionally, repetitive rhythms and ostinato basses quickly wore out their welcome.
The second movement had a certain frisson to it. Its simplicity was heaven-sent, with tremulous vibes lacing around the soloists.
The Finale was delivered fast and furious but, although its salute to Prokofiev had wit and style, a pumped-up run to the closing bars took a too-familiar option.
