Heavenly

Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s first concert for the year was indeed a ‘heavenly’ affair of exalted music from Mozart and Mahler.

The orchestra’s ‘Artist in Residence’ for 2019 and no stranger to our concert platforms, English piano-virtuoso Paul Lewis, played a ravishing Piano Concerto No. 27 in B Flat, K595 by Mozart. The ethereal yet simple melodic themes introduced in the first and second movements coalesced in a perfect melding of orchestra and piano in the final allegro with simply brilliant execution by Lewis. His enunciation of the notes was clear and precise yet full of sweeping passion. Although it’s known as Mozart’s ‘valedictory’ composition being the last work he wrote before he died, the writing for orchestra and piano is staggeringly crafted and Lewis captured every bit of tone-colour in a performance of superb control, so much so that the applause was quite rightly deafening. After several bows he encored with a piano solo of Schubert’s Allegro in C Major which was just as enthusiastically received.

Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G was a perfect companion piece in the second half being based around the light-hearted song The Heavenly Life. With sleigh bells, Austrian folk dance, and hints of an evil Medieval violinist, the orchestra under the baton of Daniel Blendulf were in grand form in this short (almost an hour) Symphony. The second movement scherzo brought out the darker elements of the music smoothly, while the woodwinds in the long third movement were gorgeous, particularly the oboe. In the fourth movement’s soprano role Morgan England-Jones brought a sweet innocence and natural warmth to the vocal-line which overall had great depth in its interpretation.

Peter Pinne