Three of the greatest works of the 20th century were joined in this program by the Australian premiere of a little-known French work.
First up were the Four Sea Interludes from Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes – evocative seascapes depicting the cold, grey, and unwelcoming ocean off the coast of Suffolk: Dawn, with its pale, high violin phrases and whirling clarinets; Sunday Morning, with horns imitating church bells; Moonlight, with rich string and brass chords pierced by twinkling harp and xylophone, and finally a vicious storm, making full use of the timpani.
Alexander Gavrylyuk and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Photo © Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Australian Nicholas Carter, a conductor with considerable experience in the opera house, gave a well-paced performance, shaping the oceanic swells with care. The violins did not quite cut through the rest of the melee in the Storm interlude, which was nevertheless savagely exciting.
Jeanne Demessieux (1921–1968) was known during her short life more as an organist than a composer. Her 1949 work, Poème, is notable for the interesting textures produced by blending orchestral colours with varied organ registrations. The modal style, at least to begin with, is that of the Impressionists (Claude Debussy, in other words, though closer to another French organist-composer, Maurice Duruflé).
Structurally, Poème is an odd hybrid that barely hangs together. An organ cadenza two-thirds of the way through sounds like the accompaniment to a silent-movie melodrama: dramatic, and just a little bit trashy. Everyone, including organist David Drury, did fine work, but I’m afraid this piece does not amount to much.
Alexander Gavrylyuk and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Photo © Sydney Symphony Orchestra
La Mer is, of course, very familiar to music lovers. A great performance has to balance the sections of the orchestra perfectly. The composer was meticulous, so each detail needs to register while the whole soundscape also coheres. Carter managed this very well, delineating subtle textural shifts and pacing the climaxes with impeccable expertise.
My only grumble was his decision to accelerate towards the very end to add extra excitement. (He did this in Britten’s Storm Interlude as well. There is an air of demanding applause about it.)
The concert was advertised as “Alexander Gavrylyuk Performs Rachmaninov”, the work being the marvellous Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. This piece is a set of brilliant variations for piano and orchestra on the 24th Caprice for solo violin by Niccolò Paganini (a theme also used for variations by Johannes Brahms, Witold Lutosławski, Boris Blacher, Poul Ruders, and others). Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 18th variation remains one of the most beloved melodies in classical music.
Gavrylyuk is a Ukrainian pianist who spent his boyhood in Sydney and has an international reputation. His technique is flawless, and his feeling for phrasing in Romantic music can be touchingly sensitive. Unfortunately, in this performance he played all the fast music like a whirlwind, sacrificing character and Rachmaninov’s playfulness along the way. Technically it was astonishing; musically, it was a blur.
He then micro-managed the tune of the 18th variation (and the 17th), poking the rhythm around and, to my mind, bothering it to death. It doesn’t need any help: its simplicity is its strength.
Overall, I was disappointed, especially having greatly enjoyed performances by Gavrylyuk in the past (such as his performance of Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Australian Chamber Orchestra). He is a tremendous artist, but maybe he needs to put the Paganini Rhapsody on hold for a while.
Sydney Symphony Orchestra presents Alexander Gavrylyuk performs Rachmaninov in the Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House on 14, 15 and 16 May.
