THE PLANETS - Concert Review
Queensland Youth Symphony
Conductor Simon Hewett
Violin Soloist In Yi Chae
Canticum Chamber Choir
Chorus Master Emily Cox
The most striking thing about any youth music performance is the incredible energy and enthusiasm on show. This was displayed in Queensland Youth Symphony's "The Planets" concert on Saturday 19th March from the first moment as acting Concertmaster Miriam Niessl was rapturously welcomed onstage by her colleagues. Conductor Simon Hewett's task was to control and focus that enthusiasm. This was achieved with success in the opening work, the Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten, aided by some accomplished wind and brass playing led by Katya Willett on flute. The Storm movement, after the restraint of the previous three, could have done with some more wildness from the strings.
Next, Concertmaster In Yi Chae was cheered onto the stage to perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. It was mentioned that after her original concerto audition she had been nudged to try the Tchaikovsky as it was seen to be well suited to her. This turned out to be inspired as the work indeed highlighted many brilliant facets of her playing. The strong, insistent tone of the G string melodies in the exposition propelled her sound upwards into a silvery, accurate higher register. Some hesitancy of her accompanying colleagues was handled well by the soloist as she wrested control of phrases and tempi leading to some very secure tutti sections. The audience was held absolutely spellbound by the compelling cadenza.
The less flashy second movement was carried well by In Yi with a sensitive duet with the clarinet. The third showcased a different tone colour again, with a biting, urgent quality to In Yi's playing as she again took control of the various themes. Simon Hewett coaxed the orchestra well as the concerto ended with a deserved standing ovation.
The second half of the concert featured many more musicians welcomed onto the stage for a performance of Gustav Holst's The Planets. It soon became clear that there are many well-known "good bits" in this work, clearly beloved of the players and audience alike, and the main theme of Jupiter was a wonderful example of this. The slightly less rollicking parts of the movements were sometimes in danger of floundering but were held together by some very strong solos from the wind and brass and in particular the string principals.
A cracking tempo for the beginning movement Mars was held well by the strings with some fine brass ensemble playing. Venus featured some lovely horn moments while Mercury (clearly a "good bit" for the players) was accurate and well-charactered. After the glorious enthusiasm of Jupiter the three more ethereal movements showcased some fine solos from Shana Hoshino on oboe as well as euphonium and tuba.
The effect of the outer planets becoming more and more distant and mysterious was managed well. The choir entry was at such a perfect dynamic that the audience sitting up to try to discern the floating sounds was audible in the theatre. A fade to darkness at the conclusion was effective and the concert ended to prolonged applause with Conductor Simon Hewett acknowledging his very deserving solo players, the orchestra and Canticum Chamber Choir for a fantastic achievement.
By Vivienne Brooke
