Review: Auckland Chamber Orchestra at Town Hall

Anthony Ritchie. Photo / Supplied

Anthony Ritchie produces music with the facility and professionalism of a modern-day kapellmeister.

From simple song to full-scale symphony, many of the Dunedin composer's works have secured a firm place in the local concert repertoire.

On Monday, Auckland Chamber Orchestra offered just a sliver of the man's output, ranging between 1993 and the present decade.

Underwater Music, three frankly programmatic sketches of the aquatic life, had seahorses bobbing in a restless first movement followed by stingrays cruising in neo-baroque waters.

All of which was evocatively caught by conductor Peter Scholes and an enthusiastic orchestra.

With the 2007 octet, Octopus, the programmatic agenda proved a little intrusive.

It was best to ignore Ritchie's "story" behind the piece, which could give the impression that Octopus is a soundtrack manque to an Animal Planet documentary.

Its most involving pages, in its first two sections, are about musical issues, as a well-groomed ensemble made clear.

Whakatipua, for a full body of strings, was sonorously delivered, marred only by Ritchie's irritating trademark of over-working a catchy riff.

Rites of Passage, an overly arch diversion strung upon Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, was most effective in the veiled intensity of a central string section or passages which highlighted the effortless artistry of bassoon soloist Ben Hoadley.

The concert ended with Ritchie's popular Flute Concerto. Soloist Alexa Still, stunning in a strapless blue-sequinned gown, added a personal touch by quizzing the composer about a Mutton Birds tune that turns up in the work's finale.

Question time over, she then gave yet another definitive reading of the Concerto written for her 17 years ago.

Once again, Ritchie's music touched most deeply when more relaxed, especially when Andrew Uren's mellow bass clarinet duetted with Still in the central movement.

Two short offerings were not from Ritchie's pen. Alexa Still's sleek encore of Robert Dick's Fish are Jumping was a bluesy party piece full of devious, slippery effects.

And, after interval, ACO chairman Frank Olsson's good-natured roar through Jerry Herman's The Best of Times reminded us not to miss ACO's next concert, July's La Clemenza di Tito.