good times with the NZSM

Hello! It's been a while.

Last night I went to a really marvellous event and I'm blogging about it.

But first, here's a picture:

That was the image on the programme and website for this concert. Not the most imaginative graphics but don't be fooled, I promise the music was awesome.

Every year the NZ School of Music does an orchestral performance and shows off its talent. I got invited along the day before, so it was a bit of a spontaneous outing. I tagged along with a posse of young lively musical people.

We turned up late-for-being-early and the Hill St. basilica was already quite full, so I set us up in the front row, next to the recording booms. We got a fantastic view of the orchestra - much heckling and encouragement of people's friends who were performing - and it was nice to see Kenneth's face while he was conducting (at one point he put the baton down and used his finger).

Made me remember why live concerts rock; it's easier to hear stuff on CD, but there's real suspense in watching a player, timp. baton in hand, nervously waiting for his cue, or the face of a violinist who's become absorbed in a delicate passage as she counts bars.

Jason Post's original composition noumena hinged on not fulfilling listener expectations, always reaching towards a satisfying conclusion and not.. quite... getting.. there.. which was a little bit cheeky but entirely intentional, and memorable, so I'll forgive him for teasing us.

 

 

This is Jason: photo courtesy of NZSM.
 

 

The Elgar soloist, Heather Lewis, was incredible. Her tender and sincere rendition suited the young orchestra and the comparatively young audience. The experience was worlds away from the last time I heard the concerto live -that was an NSZO cocnert and was a more chilly intellectual outing. This was just beautiful - theartfelt without getting too syrupy. There was a lot of bounce in the sunnier passages, too.

 

This is Heather: again, thanks, NZSM, for giving me downloadable picutres to thieve.

 

 

Shostakovitch's 9th is kind of a crazy party mix; it takes a bit of discipline to keep it all together, despite its concessions to a traditionalish symphonic structure. 
Tonight's performance nearly turned into a mess a few times, but the winds section really helped keep everything together. The big rush to the end was exhilarating. Shout-out to Peter Lamb who did a very nice bassoon solo.  It was great to sit near the basses for this work, they have heaps to do and were loving it. NZSM brought the lulz. You definitely got the sense of the satire in the symphony (it is basically a big "Screw You, Stalin!")

In conclusion: this is the perfect sort of concert to get someone used to the idea that 'classical' music can be fun, and gripping, and young, and sometimes funny.
Tickets weren't prohibitively expensive, there was a friendly crowd, you could go chat to the students and staff pretty easily. People need to get along to stuff like this, versus cramming themselves into that daggy corner at the MFC and wondering later on why they bother going to concerts.

So I'm gonna keep blogging about art music gigs that I go to - not just classical stuff and not just big gigs; anything that seems interesting or like people should know about. And if you want to catch a concert with me, let me know and I'll hook you up!