Canberra Reviews

There’s a danger when reviewing Dawn Upshaw that you’ll end up smothering your writing in superlatives. It’s easy to throw around words like ‘impeccable,’ ‘golden,’ and ‘flawless’ without really considering what they mean. The American soprano, recently awarded the MacArthur Fellowship (or ‘genius grant’), is described in the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s program as ‘one of those performers that anyone serious about the state of music today must see.’ But rather than get bogged down by hyperbole, let’s sum up Upshaw’s brilliance by noting that during her performance at Llewellyn Hall, the audience were moved to break with classical concert tradition and applauded between songs during a three-song suite.

A quick word of warning, though, before we get too excited. Fans of Upshaw may leave this performance wishing she had spent a little more time on stage. Three of the six pieces in the repertoire are performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra with Upshaw waiting in the wings, and for some, this may have been a disappointment. Yet it would be difficult to argue that you had been short-changed when the ACO are so wonderful to watch, with or without accompaniment.

The show began with James Ledger’s Restless Night, a piece commissioned to mark artistic director and lead violin Richard Tognetti’s 20th anniversary as leader of the ACO. It’s a complicated, beautiful and at times unsettling piece, which comes as close as musically possible to conjuring the feelings of a night spent tossing and turning. Being so delicate and complex, it’s also perfectly suited to showcasing the skill of the ACO, their uncanny unison, and Tognetti’s connection with each and every player.

From Restless Night the ACO launched into Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 in A, K201, which moved from soaring to stately and back with the orchestra’s trademark enthusiasm and precision. It’s clear that each member of the ACO not only has the technical ability to perform this music, but also understands the meaning and emotion behind each and every phrase. In other words, they know how to enjoy themselves. At times, Tognetti might as well be moshing as the music animates his entire frame.

Upshaw then joined the orchestra to sing Osvaldo Golijov’s Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra – all deeply emotional and at times even anguished pieces of music. The beauty of Upshaw’s voice was of course undeniable, as was her ability to bring pathos and passion into the music. These songs reach into dark, mournful places and Upshaw’s control over her voice, while still expressing the mood of the songs and remaining in perfect unison with the orchestra, was nothing short of stunning.

After interval, Upshaw returned to sing five Hungarian folksongs by Bartók (arranged by Tognetti). These were intricate and subtle pieces, crossing a wide range of emotions. A last minute switch in the running order meant the set ended with the wild and playful ‘Hatforintos’ Nóta, allowing us to see Upshaw’s more mischievous side.

The ACO then took us back to Mozart and his Sinfonia Concertante – a majestic, uplifting and at times even humorous back-and-forth between Tognetti’s violin and Christopher Moore’s viola. Moore provided a calm, graceful contrast to the ever-energetic Tognetti, and each amazed with their precision and dexterity. But as engaging as it was to watch these two, their supporting players shouldn’t be overlooked. Each member of the orchestra supports each other, not only through their technical brilliance, but also through encouraging smiles and glances, not to mention unwavering concentration.

The evening concluded with Upshaw returning to sing Strauss’s Morgen!, another extremely atmospheric piece with moments of drama and beauty. Again, this piece evoked an introspective mood, but the final round of applause was still rapturously appreciative. This is Upshaw’s trump card – she doesn’t need to sing the crowd-pleasers to please the crowd.  


DAWN UPSHAW
AND THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

30 January – 14 February 2009

CANBERRA
Llewellyn Hall
Fri 30 Jan 8pm | Bookings 1800 444 444

MELBOURNE
The Arts Centre, Hamer Hall
Sun 1 Feb 2.30pm & Mon 2 Feb 8pm | Bookings 1300 136 166

ADELAIDE
Town Hall
Wed 4 Feb 8pm | Bookings 1800 444 444

PERTH
Concert Hall
Fri 6 Feb 8pm | Bookings 1800 444 444

SYDNEY
Opera House Concert Hall
Sun 8 Feb 2.30pm | Bookings 02 9250 7777

City Recital Hall Angel Place, Sydney
Tue 10 Feb 8pm, Wed 11 Feb 7pm, Sat 14 Feb 8pm | Bookings 02 8256 2222