The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Beethoven immersion weekend toured us through 14 crucial years of the composer's career with style, thanks to that fine English pianist Paul Lewis and principal conductor Gemma New.
A cycle of five piano concertos might not encompass the quarter-century span of nine symphonies, but afascinating journey culminated in a superb Sunday afternoon Emperor.
Even the Second Concerto - ironically the first written - never lost the propulsion that New injected into the opening bars. Its hurtling finale was one of many instances where orchestra and soloist seemed to be battling for the turf, creating breathtaking drama and making it clear that the classical eighteenth century was now history.
Lewis' subtly nuanced Largo in the First Concerto, leading to some rapturous interplay between piano and orchestra, underlined the fact that Beethoven had indeed found his individual voice. Similar enchantment came in the Fourth Concerto's first movement through the coruscating brilliance of the soloist's seemingly inexhaustible keyboard wizardry.
Pianist and conductor were determined to bring out the dance as a key to much of this music.
The A minor episode in the First Concerto's finale was insidiously infectious; the devil-may-care finale of the Emperor a joyous romp, begging to be danced to, laced, perhaps, with Schubertian yodels.
Yet in this final concerto's slow movement, we were made aware of Beethoven as the missing link between Mozartian serenity and the dream-like world of Chopin's Nocturnes.
Pianist Paul Lewis. Photo / Kaupo Kikkas
The weekend was not all Beethoven's. Tabea Squire's Variations showed the young Wellington composer to be an accomplished colourist. Brass and timpani jived, fanfare-like, at the start, strings rushed around like ghostly hurricanes and, intriguingly, her "theme" was held back until the end.
Signing off on Sunday, a mega-powered Scheherazade allowed us to enjoy New's podium style without a Steinway lid in the way. How many, I wonder, like me, became a youngster once again, thrilling to the magical palette of Rimsky-Korsakov for the first time?
What: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Where: Auckland Town Hall When: Friday-Sunday Reviewer: William Dart
