Chopin Piano Concerto (Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra)

[Tony Senatore]

Chopin Piano Concerto (Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra)

Jo St Leon

September 3, 2022

Arms of Love, The Song Company, 2022. Photo © Keith Saunders

This year is the 50-year anniversary of the establishment of Australia’s formal diplomatic relations with Poland. Last night’s concert was the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s homage to this milestone.

The evening opened with Maria Grenfell’s evocative work, Tarraleah. This piece was originally commissioned by the TSO to mark the centenary of Hydro Tasmania. Rather than depicting the workings of the massive infrastructure, the work muses on the experiences of the scores of migrants, many of them Polish, who came to the remote Tasmanian highlands to build this iconic hydro-electric scheme. It incorporates fragments of traditional Polish music and an old Polish hymn, Bogurodzica (The Mother of God). Fancifully, this gave me the feeling of witnessing the wilds of Tasmania with a Polish heart.

Speaking of Tarraleah, Grenfell says, ‘It would have been terribly hard for them to land in a freezing cold place, on the other side of the world from their homes and families after Poland was devastated by the war, wondering how they would rebuild their lives.’ As I listened I heard loneliness, bewilderment, and the timeless sounds of the Tasmanian wilderness. My imagination roamed free as the TSO under Chief Conductor Eivind Aadland evoked a multitude of emotions: loss, heartbreak, fear, despair for sure, but also hope and the optimism of new beginnings. It was a beautiful and fitting start to this tribute concert.

Performing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 2, Yeol Eum Son displayed an intriguing combination of outstanding virtuosity and an almost reticent lack of showmanship. She had power and passion, fireworks and drama aplenty, but for me the true magic was in the music’s more introverted passages. The opening of the slow movement was exquisite, with both orchestra and pianist seeming to explore the inner reaches of the soul. This movement was all about the joy of the journey, with the arrival almost an afterthought. For an encore Son played a short piece by the Polish/German composer Moritz Moszkowski. Here again, her beautiful feeling for nuance and understated virtuosity made of this miniature gem a parting gift for us to treasure.

Eivind Aadland with the TSO. Photo supplied

After the interval it was the orchestra’s turn for understated virtuosity. Mendelssohn’s Symphony No 4 was played with poise, style and an exuberant fizz. The two outer movements had a verve and energy that swept us along with them. Fast-moving quaver passages were seamlessly passed from section to section with impressive clarity and accuracy – an apparently effortless feat that is difficult to achieve. In contrast, the Andante con Moto had a feeling of melancholy religiosity. The opening theme, introduced by violas, oboe and bassoon, had a wonderful feeling of remembered joy, while underneath the bass line of walking quavers allowed space for inner emotion without leaving room for wallowing. The third movement, Con moto moderato, had a pastoral feel to it that, while elegant and beautifully phrased, somehow failed to capture the often mercurial emotions lurking within the flowing lines. Otherwise, for me this was the Italian Symphony just as it ought to be.

As always, Maestro Aadland drew the very best from the TSO throughout this concert. Breathtaking pianissimi, perfectly poised nuance, and an inner joy that casts a glow around the auditorium – these are things that I have come to expect, but never take for granted. This was a memorable concert.