Australian Chamber Orchestra with Steven Osborne (piano)
Monday 3 October, Concert Hall, QPAC, Brisbane

When a youthful Richard Tognetti took over as artistic director (and lead violin) of the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 1990, an explosion of renewed vigour, swanky fashion and media hype quickly followed. The ACO were famously young, talented, and combined genuine virtuosity, crystalline precision and youthful enthusiasm in a way that seemed as effortless and natural as breathing.

I hadn¹t seen the orchestra in performance for at least 7 years, so considering their surprisingly low turnover of personnel and notoriously punishing touring schedule, I was curious to see whether any of the shine had worn off with the passing of time. What I found was that, perhaps unsurprisingly, the cutting-edge visual style no longer invokes the shock of the new, and it is quite evident that most of the members farewelled their twenties some time ago. But in the end, none of that matters - for the most part the orchestra has lost none of its brilliant edge and energetic drive: in short, they¹re still just damn good.

In this particular program, which featured British pianist Steven Osborne as guest soloist, the pairing of Mozart and Britten and the selection of lesser-known ­ you could say even slightly quirky ­ works by both composers was very effective, creating a synergy between the house style of the ACO and the works that made for a mercurial, energetic, and nuanced experience. The opener, Mozart¹s Adagio and Fugue in C Minor, was originally a work for two pianos, later orchestrated by the composer for strings. It was a light but by no means lightweight way to kick things off, with plenty of opportunity for the orchestra to show off their ability to balance the interplay of individual voices with perfectly tight ensemble playing.

At the height of the Romantic period, the concerto was understood as the scene of a heroic battle between the genius soloist and the massed force of the symphony orchestra. However, Mozart¹s twelfth piano concerto comes from a much earlier tradition, where a modest-sized ensemble and soloist play with, rather than against, each other in a way more reminiscent of pleasant conversation than combat. I was pleasantly surprised to see that in this case, the performance emphasised elegance, grace, and wit, rather than the sharp, energetic attack of which the ACO is eminently capable, and which they used to great effect later in the program. In the first movement, Osborne¹s Allegro was beautifully light and lyrical ­ his choice of liquid, long phrasing, rather than crisp brilliance, was complemented well by the muscular but non-aggressive accompaniment of the orchestra. The Andante allowed both soloist and orchestra to demonstrate their mastery of the interplay of inner voices in Mozart¹s harmonies, and showcased the orchestra¹s almost uncanny control over the most minute transitions of dynamic volume and timbre ­ from whisper-quiet supporting harmonies to full-bodied thematic swells. The final movement, the Rondeau, was equally elegant, chatty, and cheerful.

If the Mozart was a pleasant Sunday afternoon barbecue among friends and equals, then the second half of the program, featuring two works by Benjamin Britten, was an eclectic Saturday night shindig in an inner-city bohemian Soho flat. Osborne reappeared as soloist in the short work Young Apollo ­ a fanfare-like work that I hadn¹t heard before, but that was surprisingly heroic in effect considering the relatively modest size of the ensemble. As always with Britten, the piece was a marvel of textural and tonal variety ­ the perfect opportunity for the ACO to demonstrate their almost athletic ability to shift gear midstream.

Finally came Britten¹s much better-known work, Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge. Bridge, an unsung hero of British modernism, was Britten¹s teacher, and the work is a homage to him, with each variation apparently designed to reflect an aspect of the elder composer¹s personality ­ a compositional shortcut used to great effect in Elgar¹s widely adored Enigma Variations. Britten¹s Variations is what is known as a party piece, once again showcasing both the composer¹s and the orchestra¹s virtuosity and agility, leaping from deeply sentimental lyricism to almost bawdy humour in the flash of an eye, and featuring some decidedly hard-core mandolinesque violin strumming. The packed house cheered and stomped in a way some of Australia¹s lumbering ³flagship² orchestras would envy, and I for one will be back again. Rest assured, the ACO can still rock the house.

Programme

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Adagio and Fugue in C minor K.546
Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major K.414

Benjamin Britten
Young Apollo, Op. 16
Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge
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