It seemed like the Auckland Philharmonia's largest audience yet for the year. Possibly it was the result of Mozart and Elgar sharing the bill, although I suspect that some Aucklanders may have been showing their loyalty for the embattled orchestra after the disturbing revelations of the previous week.
German conductor
Alexander Liebreich gave us Mozart with a true Viennese grace, combining pomp and unexpected playfulness in the Idomeneo overture.
Anna Leese received a warm welcome for her first aria, Vado, ma dove?, creating shapely arcs from Mozart's melodies, marred only slightly by a certain tightness in tone.
Her second, Chio mi scordi di te, singing alongside Stephen De Pledge's solo piano and coping with some alarming orchestral distractions, offered more dramatic potential. When she railed against the cruel stars of fate, I was reminded of her forthright Ilia in last year's Idomeneo.
Stephen De Pledge is a Mozart man and it showed in the B flat Concerto of K 595. Liebreich set a moderate pace for the Allegro, which allowed for an elegant cut of phrase. The pianist reached a peak of enchantment in the cadenza, so bewitching the orchestra was a fraction late in rejoining him.
Soloist and conductor sustained dialogue in the Andante by balancing line against line and De Pledge imbued the Finale with just the right vernal sprightliness.
Elgar's Enigma Variations revealed Liebreich's total mastery, finding many gestures to complement the composer's ingenuities.
The theme stole upon us in beautifully moulded detail. The first variation, shot through with timbres of many hues, could hardly have been more buoyant.
The famous Nimrod was as spacious as few would risk, and Liebreich had Dorabella in dancing shoes for her appearance in the tenth variation.
James Tennant, after a few heartrending phrases, inspired his cello section to new heights in the twelfth, while the Finale, underpinned by John Wells on the Town Hall organ, had one expecting the floor to move under one's feet.
This was the Auckland Philharmonia at its prime, relayed over Concert FM for a nation of listeners, many of whom would envy us concertgoers. That this orchestra continues in good health is a matter of national as well as civic concern.
