Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia. Circle (Seat W44, A$42).
Program
Stabat Mater Symphony - Movement I (2023) by Mary Finsterer (b. 1962).
Piano Concerto No. 4 (1806) by Beethoven (1770-1827).
Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" (1808) by Beethoven.
Joe Jr's family and we are visiting New Zealand and Australia for a couple of weeks. For our time in Australia, this concert was available. My flight was scheduled to land at SYD at around 4:30 pm, and the others got in the day before.
I was looking forward to this concert for several reasons. One was that the conductor scheduled was Simone Young, the newly appointed music director of SSO. I was interested in seeing how she would do in her "home turf." She is known as a great interpreter of these heavy duty composers such as Wagner and Strauss, so these Beethoven pieces would have to do. Second was that for a couple of years SSO had concerts in other venues (such as the Town Hall) while the concert hall was being renovated. I for one had thought the old hall sounded fine, but was looking forward to a new experience nonetheless. Lastly our granddaughter would be joining us, and I was glad she would have a chance to appreciate live music.
Turns out it was a disappointment on all counts. A few days before concert I got sent a notice that Simone Young had to withdraw because of emergency surgery. These things happen, of course, but somewhat of a letdown in any case. Other than for some changes in the sound reflectors, which also reflect light, the concert hall looked the same as before. The concert was selling well, and the area I could get four seats together were way in the back, which is quite far back. The sound was definitely too soft. Finally, the concert lasted until 10:15 pm or so, and Emmie just couldn't stay up the entire time (jet lag was also a factor). I am worried this may instead be a negative experience for her.
Northey was probably an adequate to good substitute, but the weak acoustics at our seats resulted in a small dynamic range. Similarly the piano concerto performance didn't sound inspired without the requisite Beethovenian contrasts. I was also a bit puzzled by the choice of the concerto and symphony. To paraphrase some NY Phil commentator, Beethoven's work can generally be described as Apollonian or Dionysian. An odd-numbered symphony perhaps could bring more variety and excitement to the program. To be fair, I enjoyed the Pastoral Symphony; it can sound repetitive for a mediocre performance, and that wasn't the case tonight.
The contemporary piece sounded interesting. The composer is Australian, and in her description of the piece she writes "my intention is to craft a profoundly reflective composition that delves into the core themes of faith, suffering and hope encapsulated within the Stabat Mater." For the uninitiated (as I was before this), Stabat Mater is a 13th century poem portraying Mary's suffering as Jesus's mother during his crucifixion. With that in mind the music was quite moving.
After the Finsterer piece.
Northey and Perianes after performance of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto.
Photo with Emmie at intermission. Notice the four pink reflector suspended above the stage.
All said and done, I am still glad we all went. I just wish it had been a better experience for everyone.
