Concert review: Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Published on Friday 3 September 2010 20:36

SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA **** USHER HALL, EDINBURGH

For the second of their Festival programmes, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra presented an intriguing selection of works including another vibrant example of Australian contemporary music. Matthew Hindson's Energy, the first part of his second symphony e=mc2 originally written for dance, more than lived up to its name.

Plenty of tremolo strings and rippling harp passages – with the odd flurry of percussion – flung this intensely rhythmic piece forwards with thrilling and unrelenting momentum.

Equally energetic on the podium was conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy who ensured his brilliant band never missed a note.

The performance of Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, meanwhile, showed the composer's attempts to combine various styles had mixed results.

As well as his native Basque influences, he quotes from Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue in the first movement and borrows heavily from Satie for the wistful piano solo that starts the slow movement.

A beautifully controlled performance from pianist Hlne Grimaud gave coherency and sparkle to some of Ravel's more quirky experiments and Ashkenazy teased out the playful aspect of the cartoon-like final movement.

The orchestra were firing on all cylinders for Richard Strauss's swirling, waltz-inspired Der Rosenkavalier Suite and gave a glowing account of Sibelius's gem-like Rakastava for strings and percussion.