Gardening session
Garth Wilshere
Summer Concert at Government House, Vector Wellington Orchestra and soloists, Conductor Marc Taddei, Reviewed by Garth Wilshere.
It was good to be back in the old vegetable garden at Government House for this Summer Concert.
It was as always an enjoyable afternoon occasion with scrummy food in the picnic box.
MC Ian Fraser was often clever, but spoke too much and tried too hard to divvy up the crowd and to prod conductor, an uncharacteristically taciturn Marc Taddei, to speak.
From the tented stage the orchestra is amplified, there isn’t finesse or subtlety, and sound engineers took time to settle the sound mix.
The opening orchestral piece, Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien was well-enough played, but seemed dull in this performance. Much of the programming, was predictable and performances were short of the sparkle we expect at such concerts.
Perhaps they were under-rehearsed?
The vocal sets from soprano Julia Booth, mezzo Helen Medlyn and tenor Benjamin Makisi were well-done and they were in good form but the choices, mostly resolutely serious and sombre, lacked the lighter touch.
Even though the orchestral items did inject rhythmic pulse and some tonal colour and variety, they were routine and for me the lighter Bartered Bride Overture was scrappily played, missing a knowing hand.
Makisi upped the ante and charmed with his Granada, but with word sheets for the Champagne Trio from Die Fledermaus to finish the vocal selections they didn’t quite pop and fizz.
The pre-concert entertainment from Whirimako Black, Elena and her group Simply Fantastic, pleased the crowd, Footnote Dance appeared periodically although at a distance I don’t really see the point, but of course the cannons in the 1812 Overture were as excitingly visceral as ever. For me the concert missed the mark compared to past Summer Concerts.
It was good to be back in the old vegetable garden at Government House for this Summer Concert.
It was as always an enjoyable afternoon occasion with scrummy food in the picnic box.
MC Ian Fraser was often clever, but spoke too much and tried too hard to divvy up the crowd and to prod conductor, an uncharacteristically taciturn Marc Taddei, to speak.
From the tented stage the orchestra is amplified, there isn’t finesse or subtlety, and sound engineers took time to settle the sound mix.
The opening orchestral piece, Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien was well-enough played, but seemed dull in this performance. Much of the programming, was predictable and performances were short of the sparkle we expect at such concerts.
Perhaps they were under-rehearsed?
The vocal sets from soprano Julia Booth, mezzo Helen Medlyn and tenor Benjamin Makisi were well-done and they were in good form but the choices, mostly resolutely serious and sombre, lacked the lighter touch.
Even though the orchestral items did inject rhythmic pulse and some tonal colour and variety, they were routine and for me the lighter Bartered Bride Overture was scrappily played, missing a knowing hand.
Makisi upped the ante and charmed with his Granada, but with word sheets for the Champagne Trio from Die Fledermaus to finish the vocal selections they didn’t quite pop and fizz.
The pre-concert entertainment from Whirimako Black, Elena and her group Simply Fantastic, pleased the crowd, Footnote Dance appeared periodically although at a distance I don’t really see the point, but of course the cannons in the 1812 Overture were as excitingly visceral as ever. For me the concert missed the mark compared to past Summer Concerts.
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