A Baroque Tribute

In the musical hands of QSO’s Concert Master, Natsuko Yoshimoto, an hour-long tribute to Baroque music was a wonderful way to end the week. This sold-out performance featured emotional and inspirational work by Bach, Mozart, Stravinsky and Haydn. Natsuko introduced her choice of pieces by explaining that Bach was the lynchpin for many major composers who followed in his wake.

Natsuko’s programme was an enlightening journey through Bach’s influence, particularly showing the Baroque era’s obsession with counterpoint and fugue – techniques new at the time, but now familiar and satisfying to our ears: hearing multiple melodies played simultaneously, with recurring themes looping throughout the different musical sections of the orchestra.

First was Mozart’s ‘Adagio & Fugue, K.546 in C minor’, a polyphonic reflection of the composer’s genius for combining frivolous light with moody shade. Igor Stravinsky’s ‘Concerto in D’ followed, Natsuko explaining that the composer keeps you guessing whether this piece is in D major or D minor! This exciting piece in three movements builds to a signature Stravinsky tempo and surely must have the best closing notes in the history of finales! QSO’s Up Close series in the intimate ABC Studios is a great way to get closer to the musicians and instruments in the orchestra. And for Stravinsky’s piece it was wonderful to see the energetic performances that the Maestro inspired in the 30-piece string section.

What followed was a tribute to the master influencer, JS Bach’s ‘Canon and Fugue from The Art of Fugue, BWV1080’ in an excerpt translation by modern English composer, George Benjamin. Wow! The musicians were reduced to a mere few violins, two violas, a cello, but with the magical addition of a flute, horns and trumpet – and what a sonic treat.

The woodwinds remained on stage, joined by a fuller complement of their counterparts, percussion by virtue of a solo timpani, and the full string section – the 40-piece orchestra completing the programme with an uplifting performance of Haydn’s ‘Symphony No. 70 in D’. Natsuko pointed out that in this piece, too, the key hovered between the major and minor. The resulting melancholy mixed with glee will mean you leave the auditorium humming the refrain’s joyous tune. The performance was recorded and will be broadcast shortly on ABC Classic FM.

Find out more: https://qso.com.au/events

Beth Keehn

Photos:  Supplied by QSO