Tradies and Artists

Tradies and Artists
Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by Dane Lam. Hosted by Guy Noble. Music on Sundays Presented by QSO. Concert Hall, QPAC, 14 October 2018

Queensland Symphony Orchestra has found a very clever and engaging concept in its Music on Sundays series. The 2018 season of it has just wrapped up with Tradies and Artists. Each show in the series is curated on a theme and hosted by an entertaining emcee. The result is a production that presents a highly accessible way for people who aren’t usually orchestra-goers to understand and appreciate the music.

Each of the works performed in Tradies and Artists was inspired by a trade. In order of appearance, we heard: Rossini’s Overture to Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, op.33a, R. Strauss’ Concerto No.1 in E-flat major for Horn & Orchestra, op.11, TrV 117, I. Allegro, Mozart’s Maurerische Trauermusik (Masonic Funeral Music), K.477 (479a), Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger, Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz, J.277, Copland’s John Henry, Lortzing’s Overture to Zar und Zimmermann, and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (arr. Maurice Ravel) 10. The Great Gate of Kiev.

Each piece was beautifully introduced by host Guy Noble. Not only was Noble genuinely likeable and funny, he was also brilliant at making the show comprehensible to anyone. You didn’t need to have any prior knowledge of the composers or pieces to appreciate the works. Noble explained a little about the trade that had inspired each composition, made some jokes, injected interesting facts and history and generally kept things moving along really well. He and Malcolm Stewart (featured soloist playing French horn on the Strauss piece) also donned high-vis’ for added comic effect.

All of the members of the orchestra did a wonderful job of plying their artistic ‘trades’. Of the ‘tools’ onstage, some of the noveler included a piece of steel hit with a hammer to represent the hammering of steel spikes and rubbing sandpaper to sound like a train in John Henry; the oversized bass chimes in Pictures at an Exhibition and the deep-voiced basset horn in Mozart’s Maurerische Trauermusik. While still committed to musical excellence, the members of the orchestra projected a relaxed, happy feeling; getting into the spirit and laughing with the audience at Noble’s jokes.

Conductor Dane Lam was precise, passionate and energetic. He put his entire body and spirit into leading the musicians in the performance. He especially put the strings through their paces in Il barbiere di Siviglia, which was conducted at an impressive tempo. You got a real sense of the emotion Lam wanted to draw from the musicians from the expressions on his face and in his body language. His excellence coupled with a lack of pretence made his performance very likeable. It was easy to see why this Brisbane born and bred gentleman is in high demand the world over.  

Good news for anyone wishing they could have been there: ABC recorded the performance, so you’re sure to be able to find it online. Great news for anyone who’d like to experience a Music on Sundays show: they’re back again in 2019.

Overall, Tradies and Artists was a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning. QPAC’s Concert Hall is a gorgeous venue, with it’s huge pipe organ, warm lighting and comfortable seating. The pieces, while unrelated other than by theme, worked well together and were played in an order that flowed nicely in mood and style. We had the excitement and energy of the chase in Il barbiere di Siviglia, intricacies and plodding sadness of Maurerische Trauermusik, the unmistakably American western sounding John Henry, and the epic Russian sounds of Pictures at an Exhibition just to name a few. The variety was enjoyable and with no interval, you could just sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Kiesten McCauley 

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