Fantastical Journeys ~ Adelaide Festival 2023 Review

Adelaide Town Hall, Sat 18 Mar Tonight’s concert opens with The Oceanides by Finnish composer Sibelius, so how appropriate to see young Finnish conductor Emilia Hoving leading the ASO with such flair, sensitivity and authority. Wearing an informal jacket and frequently smiling at the orchestra, her charm radiates, and contributes to our enjoyment and appreciation of The Oceanides. Depicting the sea in various moods the piece moves from a tranquil melodic opening through to the approach of bad weather and culminates in a thunderous storm. With two harps on stage used with great effect in the initial section and a sense of unsettling drama building up in the next two segments, this is an invigorating start to our Fantastical Journeys. The twenty minute violin concerto Procession follows. It was written by Missy Mazzoli, who also wrote the score for the 2020 Adelaide Festival opera Breaking The Waves. Conceived in part as a nod to wise women of yore and the role of spells and dance to ward off evil and sickness Mazzoli wrote this piece for U.S. violinist Jennifer Koh during the height of the covid pandemic. With five movements the intensity of that experience is evident as the score veers from ultra high notes to extreme low ones, from frenzied dance to a reverent assent into heaven. Koh is resplendent with bright pink hair and plays this somewhat unsettling but powerful piece with precision, agility and potency. Her performance is rewarded with great applause and a spontaneous hug from the conductor. After an intermission we are presented with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, which was inspired by the Middle Eastern tales of A Thousand and One Nights. The sense of adventure, movement and bold tales is clearly inspiring some in the audience to sway along in their seats. The recurring violin and harp theme signifying the new wife Sheherazade who spins tales to help her stay alive is played enchantingly by 1st violinist Elizabeth Layton and harpist Carolyn Burgess. Throughout the piece there are other notable solos from cello, flute, bassoon and clarinet, helping bring the tales of Sinbad and princes and princesses in peril to life. More importantly this piece showcases the calibre of musicianship throughout the orchestra – South Australians should be proud. At the conclusion Emilia Hoving is called back three times to animated applause and the audience leaves smiling…. 5 Stars Cathy Tune #ClotheslineMag