The Auckland Philharmonia's Silver Jubilee concert sets off with a no-nonsense romp through Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture.
Introductions over, conductor Mischa Santora shows real finesse in Beethoven's Eighth Symphony. The first movement, with telling use of silence and tempo fluctuations is followed by a poised but not prettified Allegretto.
The third movement is a paragon of grace, even when its Trio toys with quirky accentuations; the blistering Finale barely allows either players or audience time for breath.
Eugene Fodor is not the violinist he was 10 years ago.
I anticipate the worst when the opening of Ravel's Tzigane has neither flair nor fire; my misgivings are confirmed with the first patch of double-stoppings.
After interval, the heady passions of Chausson's Poeme elude Fodor. When the AP surges magnificently behind him, he doesn't always project sufficiently and what one hears is often beset by intonation problems.
The orchestra, alas, has not chosen prudently from its Central American scorebook. While Revueltas's Sensemaya is a predictable scorcher, Galindo's Sones de Mariachi is an also-ran.
If fiestas were as dull as this plodder suggests, siestas would definitely be the preferable experience.
Ross Harris's Cento is much more than a cut-and-paste scrapbook of past orchestral triumphs - in between two explosions of sound, this score bears the signature of the composer who, a few months back, gave us his first symphony.
There are definite rewards for tune-spotters. Who might have considered Tchaikovsky as a compliant bedmate for Colonel Bogey? It happens when the Pathetique underscores not only the Kenneth Alford march but also Alex Lithgow's Invercargill March.
Segues can be sweet and slick, as when Goldenhorse's Riverhead flows into Ravel's Bolero. And are the numerous references to The Rite of Spring meant to remind us that Stravinsky's ballet is lined up to be one of next season's undoubted highlights?
Like any celebration, the evening is not all music. Streamers and balloons cascade from the circle after the final Elgar encore. There is a farewell from general manager Anne Rodda, and the pleasing announcement that Dimitri Atanassov will be the new concertmaster.
Roll on 2006.
