Sellout matinees for orchestra’s 60th

The Dunedin Symphony Orchestra continued celebrating its 60th year with two weekend matinee concerts in King’s and Queen’s Performing Arts Centre entitled ‘‘Beethoven, Ritchie and Faure’’. Both performances received capacity audiences.

The orchestra, conducted by Brent Stewart, was in great form. They began with Masques et Burgamasques Op. 112 by the French composer Gabriel Faure. Originally written as incidental music for a 1919 comedy opera, the work comprises four characteristic movements — a light and cheerful Overture, which contrasted with brass and woodwind statements introducing a Menuet, followed by a short stately Gavotte and finishing with a Pastorale.

Then came the world premiere of Dunedin composer Anthony Ritchie’s cello concerto. International cellist Inbal Megiddo (currently cello lecturer at Wellington’s Victoria University) and Dunedin’s superb symphony orchestra excelled in the interpretation of this new four-movement work. Ritchie gave a short introduction before they began, then Stewart worked the orchestra hard, generating the variety of themes and dynamics and balancing various instrumental combinations.

Expressivo opened with combinations of flute and cellos, horn with strings, very effective plucked harp, pentatonic themes and a virtuosic cadenza passage from Megiddo. The second movement Allegro giocoso maintained a forward moving character, before the third movement, entitled Darkly, had the soloist playing above strings and woodwind in a theme-and-variations structure. The final With Swagger grew to be strong and syncopated culminating in a boisterous virtuosic conclusion.

After the interval, Stewart enlightened the audience with brief details and some very short appropriate orchestral excerpts before launching Beethoven’s Symphony No 7 — definitely a big favourite of many, including Stewart who conducted entirely from memory. DSO delivered well. The Allegretto second movement’s haunting melodic subject flowed with precision and dynamic flair, contrasting with a spritely Presto leading on to a very energised exciting final Allegro con brio.

Altogether an excellent performance deserving congratulations to all.