QUEENSLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Maestro 4

Saturday 30 April
QPAC Concert Hall

Marco Zuccarina, conductor
Michael Endres, piano

Villa-Lobos  Bachianas Brasilerias
Grieg  Piano Concerto in A minor
Tchaikovsky  Symphony No 5 in E minor

This program had all the hallmarks of being a super concert - A Villa-Lobos piece, the Grieg Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony - and it started superbly.

The Bachianas Brasilerias was a fascinating 20th century work that, in four movements, showed a variety of styles from the sweep of a Sibelius symphony to swinging jazz jig and, in tribute to Bach, a toccata and  a fugue, which was atonal in sections and added yet another facet to a fascinating piece of very busy music.

I loved the way the trumpets and trombones dominated the brass with a Benny Goodman style swing in the jig and the performance certainly put me in the mood to explore Villa-Lobos further. And the use of the ‘cello and viola sections playing without the violins provided a sound not often heard in orchestral concerts.

I find it fascinating how the rhythms of modern composers always seem, to me anyway, portray busy streets, and traffic choked roads as opposed to the classical and romantic exposition of countryside and folk music. It was a longer than normal opening to a concert, but it was a good lead-in for Grieg’s much loved Piano Concerto in A minor.

German pianist, Michael Endres, who is now living and working in New Zealand, is powerful player who opened the concerto with the expected flourish and a very heavy left hand that really hit the right mood with some reverberating chords. The pretty melodies, too, were nicely emphasised as the right hand work was clear and precise. He has an elegant, nicely balanced technique.

After the almost 90 minute first half came Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No 5 in E Minor. I realise that conductors interpret scores differently, but in this case, I wish I had seen a more traditional performance.

Eric Scott