Auckland Philharmonia at the Bruce Mason Centre

By WILLIAM DART

It's difficult to believe that two years have passed since an Auckland concert hall resounded to the Hebrides Overture.

On that occasion in 2002, also in Takapuna's Bruce Mason Centre, Mendelssohn's exquisite watercolour was given to us by James Sedares with a radically reduced NZSO.

On Saturday, using the full resources of the Auckland Philharmonia, American conductor Steven Smith was determined to give Mendelssohn a more classical treatment, with sculpted lines and minimal billowing - you could hear the bassoons shadowing the cellos in their soaring second subject.

Hummel's Trumpet Concerto marked the solo debut for Viktor Kisnichenko, the orchestra's principal trumpet.

If music ever strutted, then Hummel's first movement does just that - amiably and surrounded by clear, intriguing colour combinations.

Kisnichenko brought clarity to his contribution, had fun with its military flourishes, and enjoyed interchanges with colleagues.

At the other end of the work, he gave the rompish rondo unexpected light and shade.

The lovely slow movement, with its orchestral part carefully articulated by Smith, found Kisnichenko's warm, unaffected tone more than compensation for the occasional miscalculated note.

After interval, and a few words from Smith comparing the concert to a smorgasbord ("We can skip salad entirely now and have two desserts") we were given the pairing of Mozart and Tchaikovsky that the conductor was anticipating.

If Mozart's Haffner Symphony was an example of the composer "showing off", as Smith put it, then the American conductor and his players were the perfect accomplices.

The first movement was uncluttered and confident. The violins, benefiting from the strong leadership of Dimitri Atanassov, had a few ragged moments, but the ensemble was shipshape, especially when the woodwind dovetailed through the texture.

If the andante had its untidy moments, including an embarrassingly indecisive opening chord, the trio of the third movement was a miracle of detail to its smallest inflection, and the finale tumbled away with remarkable precision.

The concert ended with Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, which again benefited from Smith's restraint, emphasising sombre woodwind colours and showcasing Rebecca Harris' harp along with some eloquent viola lines.

A lively Russian Dance from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite was a tasty encore.