Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Nicholas McGegan (cond.)
Dominique Labelle (soprano)
Sally-Anne Russell (mezzo-soprano)
Iain Paton (tenor)
Sanford Sylvan (baritone)
Melbourne Chorale Ensemble
Graham Abbott (organ)
Saturday 30 June 2001
Melbourne Concert Hall, Melbourne
Beethoven: The Consecration of the House: Overture
Schubert: Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished"
Mozart: Requiem
Nicholas McGegan is internationally renowned as a conductor of baroque music and particularly of Handel; Mozart is as close as he has so far gotten to that repertoire in Australia, even though this is his third visit. There is probably a good economic reason for this, but it seems paradoxical to import someone whose fame in a particular area has propelled him to such a level of remuneration that he needs to provide more familiar fare to pay his way. Aside from all this, McGegan is an entertaining performer, and he attracted a full house to the third performance of this program.
The opening piece, Beethoven's Consecration of the House Overture, allowed the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to display its well-honed talents, though the work itself must be one of the composer's most uninventive efforts. Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony is more familiar, and far richer in melodic creation. McGegan whipped the players along, conducting without a baton but using every part of his body to lead his forces. Despite his visible exertions, and as opposed to the subsequent Mozart, this symphony went at more-or-less the usual tempos, and McGegan clearly had a firm idea of the overall architecture of the piece. The Schubert served as a wonderful showcase for the pellucid string playing for which the Melbourne Symphony is renowned, while the drama of the variations in dynamics was well captured.
The musicological problems of Mozart's Requiem are now widely known, with various performance solutions proposed; McGegan chose the Robert Levin edition. McGegan opted for brisker tempos than are usually heard; the result no doubt depended on one's personal taste, but it might be said that the faster pacing stripped off some ponderous accretions and generated more excitement than is often the case.
The Melbourne Chorale Ensemble is a subset of the Melbourne Chorale, whose reputation for excellence was molded under the guiding hand of Graham Abbott and now flourishes under Jonathan Grieves-Smith. On this occasion, the choir's cohesion and accuracy were exemplary.
All four soloists sang well. Sally-Anne Russell has a
creamy, even mezzo voice, Iain Paton's tenor rang out and Sanford Sylvan was
suitably sonorous in the "Tuba mirum." But Dominique Labelle lived her part: not
only does she have a sumptuous instrument to work with, but her phrasing and
power of expression illuminated every word she sang. During the parts in which
they weren't called upon to sing, Russell, Paton and Sylvan sat with
well-schooled soloist discipline, staring straight ahead; Labelle followed every
note in her score, nodding in time to the music, her face showing responses of
suffering, apprehension, relief and joy.
