Auckland Philharmonia at Auckland Town Hall

Not every concert can boast a symphonic premiere, and Ross Harris' Symphony was inevitably the peak of the Auckland Philharmonia's programme last Thursday.

After conductor Steven Smith and the orchestra had given us a dramatic dissection of the work's crucial first page, layer by layer, Harris' virtuoso first movement left one gasping for breath.

In an explosion of orchestral colour, the music veered from plaintive bassoon solo to roto-tom frenzy. Rhythmically, it was volatile, austere one minute, tripping to a tambourine ostinato the next.

Yet, with even a passing contrabassoon idea being a tipped-over version of one of those first-page motifs, it was unflinchingly symphonic.

In the pastoral second movement, angular lines and pungent timbres assured astringency and, while the Finale might not have quite had its say within the composer's desired three minutes, it was still a veritable whirlwind.

With cheeky xylophone, woozy clarinet and splattered second chords, it zipped and zapped, chopping and changing direction like a weathercock in a twister.

Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess opened the evening. So often, one is nervous for the horn players in its opening bars and, on this occasion, nervousness was warranted.

The most pleasure for me lay in Ravel's ultra-lounge alchemy of strings and harp, caressingly beautiful from my balcony vantage point.

Faure's Requiem deserved a stronger choral component than the combined Auckland University Singers and Sydney Conservatorium Chamber Choir could muster.

Ragged entries in the Introit augured badly and, too often, youthful enthusiasm was no replacement for the balanced sonority.

Soprano Tania Brand was too fruity in the Pie Jesu, although David Griffiths brought an almost operatic intensity to his Libera Me. James Tibbles' transparent organ obbligato was the perfect evocation for the final In Paradisum.

Debussy's La Mer was smoother sailing as Smith and the orchestra navigated every surge and wave with ease. Rapturous solos were in abundance, including a confident cello ensemble in the first movement.

At times, in Jeux de vagues, Smith almost sneaked us into a Viennese ballroom, but the closing Dialogue, with restored Fanfares, unleashed the many blues of a Mediterranean seascape. 

What: Auckland Philharmonia
Where: Auckland Town Hall