Anyone bemoaning the dearth of Australian music or music by living composers in the symphonic offerings in my neck of the woods next year should check out this concert, which sets off with music by five living Australians [yes, I know Percy Grainger is dead, there is a recent addition not yet on the Sydney Festival website] including Ross Edwards’ dancing-chanting violin concerto, Maninyas.
It’s hardly new to be questioning the artistic level of free, outdoor performances or the role they play or could play in an orchestra’s overall mission. What’s refreshing is that the Old World/New World program undermines the clichés while abiding by the necessary conventions. Not-your-usual outdoor concert, then.
The musical result is “zippy”, as my mother would say, and absolutely suited to a summer’s evening under the stars. There is an element of fun, of liveliness. It will be entertaining. It will please the punters. But at the same time it sends an important message about our repertoire and what orchestral music can be. Kudos to the programmers on this one.
As one of my European friends would say, the “hairy hand” of Richard Gill looms large in this program. He is probably Australia’s most impassioned and outspoken advocate for music. Notice, I’m not saying contemporary music or anything confining like that. Just Music. Because for Richard, music is a living, breathing thing. The whole point of learning music is to make music and the whole point of making music is to make new music. And he won’t ever let you forget that, even as you wallow in Dvořák and Tchaikovsky. He’s not a snob either. Bring on the Lehár and the evening is complete.
I’ll confess that I loathe attending outdoor concerts. It’s nothing to do with the programming – which can be good or bad – it’s to do with the nature of this kind of event, which plays up a social aspect that I simply don’t seek when I go out to listen to music. Spending hours hoarding a spot and going through the rigmarole of a picnic while sardined on a large lawn with thousands of other picnickers, in order to not-quite-properly-hear an orchestral concert is not my idea of a good time. But you know, I’m so impressed with what’s been achieved here, I’m half tempted to attend this one. Perhaps I’ll volunteer to wear a dreadful fluoro t-shirt and be useful. Just don’t ask me to sell raffle tickets.