OBSERVER: MSO Mornings
In one of its regular Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Mornings concerts, classical music lovers were treated to two works by the composers Maurice Ravel and Modest Mussorgsky both of which had rousing passages to stir the emotions.
The first short piece was Alborada del gracioso by Ravel; it is the fourth of five movements that make up his Miroirs piano suite written in 1905.
After a brief interlude came the main piece of the morning, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Written in 1897 as a piano suite of ten movements, Ravel arranged it for orchestra in 1922.
So, common to both pieces was how works written originally for piano had been subsequently arranged for orchestra.
Ravel orchestrated the Alborada movement himself for use in a ballet. Apart from a bombastic finale, when the depth and breadth of sound afforded by an orchestra came into its own, it felt better suited to piano.
However, this certainly wasn’t the case with Pictures as each of the ten movements were well-suited to the grandeur and majesty made possible by an orchestra.
And majestic the MSO certainly was in its performance of Pictures. Each of the ten movements were played with style and power.
The strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion all took centre stage at some point during one or more of the ten movements, highlighting the depth of talent each orchestral section has.
Pulling it all together Chief Conductor Jaime Martin was in fine form, especially with the Mussorgsky piece. His somewhat flamboyant style meshed well with the passion and fiery sentiment of the Russian composer.
A personal anecdote shared during the interlude, of when he first heard Pictures as a small boy, was an endearing touch.
MSO Mornings is something of an institution in Melbourne and this particular morning was a fine example of why that is the case and how blessed the city is to have the MSO.
Venue: Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne
mso.com.au
Review by Peter Murphy