Pleasant reminder of the virtue of balance
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday April 1, 2011
SYDNEY SYMPHONYOpera House, March 30Reviewed by Peter McCallumTHE term "minimalist", as applied to John Adams's Harmonium, seems even more of a misnomer than the term "classical" to Beethoven's romantically vigorous Seventh Symphony.Minimalism in music usually describes the technique of hypnotic repetitions of a few simple ideas or chords, sometimes to the point of perversity (or even irritation). Although Adams based his style on the repetitive techniques, the rhythms are complex, the structures involved, the harmonies varied and in the case of Harmonium, the performance forces are maximal.Sydney Symphony performed the work in 1986, when Adams's idea of endowing minimalist processes with new textural and rhythmic sophistication seemed fresh and innovative. It was rewarding to revisit the work a quarter of a century later, and doubly so to welcome back the former Sydney Symphony chief conductor, Edo de Waart, a long-time champion of Adams's music (this piece was dedicated to him).The first movement, setting words of John Donne, is particularly interesting for the way in which Adams builds up harmonic changes of great romantic intensity and moment - a complete contrast to the inuring effect minimalist repetition usually has on harmony.The second movement, a quiet and more genuinely minimal setting of text by Emily Dickinson, stood the test of time less well and its textures were comparatively lame.The third movement, however, also with words by Dickinson, built tension over the long span with leaping ideas, evocative of the Wild Nights of the text.The Philharmonia Choirs captured the extremity of range and colour and achieved a thrilling sound in the outer movements.Before the Adams work in the second half, the strings produced glowing warmth in Samuel Barber's Adagio.De Waart brought to Beethoven's Seventh Symphony the discipline, focus and precision that made him such an effective builder of the Sydney Symphony during his tenure. Under him, untidy corners are rare. The woodwind exchanges in a carefully blended musical conversation in the first movement were a pleasant reminder of the simple virtue of balance.Occasionally one might wish for more emphatic moments in the climaxes of the outer movements (if they can be achieved without distortion), but this was a welcome and instructive return of a conductor who has done much for orchestral playing in this town.This concert is repeated tonight and tomorrow night.
© 2011 Sydney Morning Herald
