William Dart Revue: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra: Firebird

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s Firebird concert was a well-timed festival of color, culminating in an electrifying Stravinsky ballet suite. Shiyeon Sung’s stick was as sharp as a scalpel, from the stealthiest introductions to these jaw-dropping masterpieces
for the two main dancers, separated by the finesse of the chamber music for the princesses.

What a blast it was when Katy Woolley, principal horn of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, launched a thrilling finale.

First, Salina Fisher’s 2018 Tupaia lit up the world of the Tahitian sailor with the sonic seasonings of an expert contemporary colorist. The dark waters of the Pacific rose in a beautifully graduated crescendo until release came in lyrical dialogue from Alexandria Hoffman’s alto flute and Robert Ashworth’s viola, after an explosion of percussion.

From a Spring Morning and a Sad Evening by Lili Boulanger worked well in tandem; the piquant dance of the first counterbalanced by the darker intimations of the second, dictated on the deathbed of the composer, aged only 24.

Scottish pianist Steven Osborne, in town in 2013 to play Manuel de Fallas’ Nights in the Gardens of Spain, told me it was “a funny mix of very, very Spanish with a French gloss over it. “.

That wasn’t so the case tonight, with Spanish pianist Javier Perianes. Deeply immersed in the work, he turns his back on us, soaking up Falla’s exotic and shimmering universe, before turning back to add his own impeccably chiseled strokes.

It was not postcard music. The excitement was sometimes visceral, like when soloist and orchestra traded punches in the flamenco era. As Sung discovered the poetry of this beautifully colored score, setting up dizzying climaxes, Perianes played with subtlety and precision, catching ears (and eyes, if you could see the keyboard) with his flamboyant glissandi.

Six years ago, during his recital at the Auckland Museum, Perianes chose Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance as an encore. Revisiting it tonight, the flames flashed as furiously as ever.

What: Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra
Where: Auckland City Hall
When: Thursday
Reviewer: William Dart