Ray Chen, Peter Oundjian and the Sydney Symphony, by Andrew Miller

Oundjian-peter
Conductor Peter Oundjian.

Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall: 10 February 2011
to be repeated and broadcasted on ABC Classic FM 92.9 on 14 February 2011

Hector Berlioz

Béatrice et Bénédict: Overture

Johannes Brahms

Violin Concerto
Ray Chen - violin

Piotr Tchaikovsky

Symphony No.5

Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Peter Oundjian - conductor

It can sometimes seem like a scalping to play an opera overture as a concert piece, but Maestro Oundjian's apparent delight in Berlioz' music overcame any such qualms. They played the piece as if it were self-contained with a closer-than-usual study and without the anticipation or apprehension of the visual elements of theatre. It can be nice to hear an overture without the distraction of a rising curtain. It also served nicely as a relatively lighter prelude to the Brahms and Tchaikovsky. The precise stops and timing of the silences were very satisfying (and provided an interesting test of the hall's acoustical decay time — the sound taking about 3 seconds to decay but fairly evenly across the pitches). The Sydney Symphony brought across the vivid orchestration as effortlessly as singing.

Read the full review on the Berkshire Review, an international journal for the Arts!

Michael Miller