Australian Brandenburg has an eye to future with young talent time
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra has turned 30 and artistic director and founder Paul Dyer has his eyes firmly clapped on the future with the band’s latest tour.
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He has assembled three fine young soloists — the “next generation” — for an interesting and enjoyable program of Baroque favourites to showcase their talents, as well as those of his fine orchestra.
The concert got under way in spectacular and irresistible style with the phenomenally talented Melbourne 11-year-old violinist Christian Li, whose nerves-of-steel virtuosic performance brought the house down and showed why he was the youngest ever joint winner of the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition in Geneva last year.
His duet with ABO concertmaster Shaun Lee-Chen — a set of virtuosic variations in the style of Handel by 19th century Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen — was a pure delight and showed the youngster to be a born leader.
He started playing the instrument six years ago and since then videos charting his progress have attracted a big internet following.
For 25-year-old New Zealand soprano Madison Nonoa the tour is a reunion for she made an impressive Australian debut in one of the ABO’s popular Christmas concerts two years ago.
Taken under the wing of the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, but more recently coached by Australian diva Yvonne Kenny at London’s prestigious Guildhall School of Music, Nonoa has recently graduated from that school’s opera program and this performance shows she has matured into an assured and impressive performer.
ASSURED
The six Handel arias she sang showcased her sweet and even tone and beautiful phrasing, while the “tempest” aria from Julius Caesar brought her vocal athleticism, stamina and breath control into play.
Full of poise and with a radiant smile, Nonoa also showed she has the acting card in spades.
Leanne Sullivan, playing a valveless trumpet, impressed as always with her solo in Handel’s Let the bright Seraphim.
The third young talent, violinist Annie Gard, a graduate of Sydney Conservatorium and more recently New York’s Juilliard School of Music, also showed why she is carving out for herself an impressive career in Europe with a courageous attempt on that Everest of solo violin pieces, Bach’s chaconne from the Violin Partita No.2.
This was well received and when she came back in the second half for Vivaldi’s Violin Concerto in G minor Op 9 No. 10 she was given a loud ovation.
Dyer and his troops were on top form, mainly in an accompaniment role, but relished opening up the throttle for Handel’s Concerto Grosso Op 6 No. 12 to start the second half.
The concert is repeated at City Recital Hall Angel Place at 7pm on Friday, September 13; Saturday, September 14; Wednesday, September 18, and Friday, September 20, with a 2pm matinee on Saturday, September 14.
DETAILS
● CONCERT Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
● WHERE City Recital Hall Angel Place
● WHEN Wednesday, September 11