SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL

Haydn and the Devil: Australian Brandenburg Orchestra; Paul Dyer Artistic Director; Hidemi Suzuki (Japan) Guest Conductor,  Darryl Poulsen ( period horn) City Recital Hall,  Angel Place, Sydney, 30.10.2009 (ZT)

Josef Myslivecek: Concertino No 1 in E flat major

Joseph Haydn: Symphony No 45 in F sharp minor, Farewell


The opening evening of a new concert series by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra is invariably a sell-out; Friday, Oct 30^th was no exception. This concert is repeated Sat. 31 Oct, Nov. 4, 6, and twice on the Nov. 7. Entitled Haydn and the Devil, the series obviously derives its name from two programme items: Boccherini’s La Casa del Diavolo and Haydn’s Symphony No 45. On this occasion Artistic Director, Conductor and continuo player Paul Dyer participated in the concert from the audience gallery. Guest Conductor was Hidemi Suzuki, probably better know as a Baroque cellist. He was also a founding member of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.

For Boccherini’s Op 12 No 4, the first item Myslivecek’s Concertino No 1, was not a hard act to follow. The former’s lush, rich strings sounded conspicuous by virtue of its programme positioning, and represents a more sophisticated, musically fulfilling composition.

For those unfamiliar with Karl Marguerre’s reconstruction of Mozart’s Horn Concerto K 412/514, a real treat was in store. The second movement, unfinished at the time of Mozart’s death was completed from Mozart’s draft by his pupil Sussmayr. This composition was the last of a series of four conceived for a friend of Mozart’s, horn player Joseph Leutgeb. Then in his fifties, Leutgeb may have had trouble playing some of the high and low notes. Together with omitting the bassoons and changing the string accompaniment, Sussmayr also left out some of the high and the low notes. Marguerre’s reconstruction of the second movement, more in line with Mozart’s draft, was that played by on this occasion by Darryl Poulsen. Those beautiful low notes were a revelation to anyone who had previously not heard this arrangement; many commercial recordings omit them by favouring the Sussmayr version.

Prior to the playing of Haydn’s Farewell Symphony, Hidemi Suzuki came on stage solo, and gave a brief but enlightening narrative on the origins of this piece; also technical aspects including its atypical- for Haydn- key of F sharp minor and modulations. Histrionically and musically it was a most apt item on which to conclude the evening. On this occasion the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra delivered everything that its many patrons have, by previous experience and reputation, come to anticipate if not expect.

Zane Turner