Auckland Philharmonia at the Auckland Town Hall

By WILLIAM DART

There are not so many trombone concertos in the repertoire, and the Auckland Philharmonia's most recent soloist, Michael Mulcahy, brought with him a curious specimen by Launy Grondahl.

A work from the 1920s, this was disarmingly lightweight, patched together by a Danish composer with an ear for a shapely tune.

It hung together well, as the Australian trombonist wove his lines persuasively among some effective orchestral work, taking time out in the second movement for a bluesy interlude with pianist Ingrid Wahlberg.

After interval, Frank Martin's Ballade was more substantial, with Mulcahy's lines striding over the orchestral players, who were enjoying themselves in the sprightly, often jazzy rhythms.

Christopher Wilkins is one of the brighter young American conductors around and this is his second season with the Philharmonia. One can sense a real bond developing, especially in Tchaikovsky's First Symphony, which opened the programme.

The orchestra cleverly negotiated the cut and thrust of the first movement with its intricate ensemble work, although the strings took a little time to bring the requisite warmth to the second. The Finale does not hold back in its barnstorming moments, and they were handled magnificently.

Stravinsky admired this score and I would imagine that the composer of Petrushka might have had a soft spot for these final pages.

The concert closed with Nielsen's mighty Four Temperaments. This most moody of symphonies was done proud, with an Andante almost Mahlerian in its melancholic shadings.

After exquisite solo work from a number of musicians (Martin Lee's melting oboe lines were particularly outstanding) the bustling bonhomie of the Finale ended the concert on an upbeat.