Orchestra Victoria,
based in Melbourne, works with The Australian Ballet, Opera
Australia and The Production Company, as well as giving orchestral
concerts. In many other areas too – such as the Symphony Australia
Composer Development Program – it makes an important contribution
to the musical and artistic life of Australia. Its recordings
include CDs devoted to the music of Constant Lambert and Michael
Easton, as well as the Ludwig Minkus/John Lanchbery ballet
music for Don Quixote. Here, under the baton of Richard
Divall, one of the most experienced and successful Australian
conductors of opera (and a fine scholar), they present a programme
of theatrical – mainly operatic - music.
According
to the notes by Natalie Shea, the programme constitutes “a
musical romp from morning to night”. Well, just about, perhaps,
but only if you listen to the pieces in a quite different
order from that in which they are actually presented on the
CD - and “romp” is an unfortunate trivialisation. It’s best,
I think, to forget about the supposed programme, which is
rather special pleading, and enjoy the pieces for themselves.
Most
of the music is familiar stuff – in some cases one might be
tempted to say over-familiar. And it can't be really be said
that any of these performances do much to defamiliarise any
of it, to make one hear it afresh, to surprise one. Not that
the performances are bad – merely perfectly competent and
professional, without ever approaching the revelatory in any
way.
Orchestra
Victoria and Divall provide assured and enjoyable renderings
of one familiar Mozart overture, and of one less familiar.
It is good to hear the fine overture to Der Schauspieldirektor
getting on to a programme such as this. The closing Rameau
is a bit heavy in rhythm and thick in texture and Orchestra
Victoria do fuller justice to themselves in the sinuous orientalism
of Saint-Saëns’ Bacchanale or the dynamic contrasts
of the overture to La Cenerentola.
This
is a well-recorded programme, which I have enjoyed. But, it
has to be said, the playing is not so special as to make one
forget the very many other fine - and sometimes memorable
- recordings of all this music which already exist, nor to
make one entirely satisfied with hearing so many loosely connected
pieces out of their proper contexts.
The
CD is perhaps best thought of as a kind of souvenir for those
already familiar with the work of Orchestra Victoria in the
theatres of Melbourne. Certainly the citizens of Victoria
should be pleased to have so accomplished an orchestra based
in their state.
Glyn
Pursglove