Hawke's Bay Orchestra
Directed by Jose Aparicio
Piano Soloist Jian Liu
Music by Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms
Blyth Performing Arts Centre, Havelock North Saturday, July 2
Reviewed by Peter Williams
This demanding programme of both a major Romantic piano concerto and one of the most famous symphonies in the orchestral repertoire must have kept Hawke's Bay Orchestra players busy and made heavy demands on stamina and musical understanding in its placement between accompanying full choral performances by the Napier Civic Choir.
However there seemed no limit to the musical intuition, knowledge and energy of the Civic Choir's artistic director, Jose Aparicio, as he skilfully directed.
A Beethoven overture - Leonore Overture No3 in this concert - will always make a satisfying and arresting opening to any concert as it certainly was in this case - a clear portrayal in sound of the story of Beethoven's opera Fidelio for which Leonore No3 is one of four overtures Beethoven penned.
The dramatic impact of the music was clear from the start with vivid contrasts, beautifully shaped solo lines and an impressive presto climax at the end.