Review: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Auckland Town Hall

British pianist Kathryn Stott. Photo / Lorenzo Cicconi Massi

Opening the second concert of Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's New Zealand Herald Premier series with Ligeti's Melodien, conductor Gergely Madaras guided us through an Aladdin's Cave of sound.

The two musical components of this 1971 piece - highly energised flurries versus floating soundscapes - gave the evening its title, Clocks and Clouds.

Traditional melodic content may have been elusive for some ears, but soloists, from stalking tuba to ardent oboe, had their moments of song emerge from the pulsating textures.

It was a mesmerising experience, an unforced fusion of the sonic and sculptural; it was also fascinating to watch, as the energetic conductor marshalled his forces in tribute to this fellow Hungarian master.

After this, Shostakovich's Second Piano Concerto seemed all sunshine and light. Or was it? Perhaps ironies may have lurked behind its Toytown-cum-circus strut, a mood amusingly described by a contemporary Soviet critic as one of "merry fervour".

Opting for the security of a printed score, Kathryn Stott created a sense of camaraderie with players and conductor, while a lithe Madaras responded physically to ebullient rhythms that might have fitted well in Bernstein's West Side Story, which dates from 1957, the same year as this concerto.

There were nice connections when Stott's encore, a cool, thoughtful Chopin Nocturne reminded us of the Russian composer's idyllic Andante that we had heard; and the flickering dance of Chopin's central section linked to energetically strummed strings in both the Shostakovich and the Sibelius to come.

Fans of Sibelius do not like the word Tchaikovskian bandied about when it comes to the Finn's First Symphony. Nevertheless, such were the passions ignited, especially in the sobbing main theme of a briskly-paced Andante, that comparisons were inevitable.

Some of the fire had diffused by the Finale, due mainly to the disjointed writing, but memories were not dimmed of either a driving Scherzo or the powerfully-hewn musical granite of the opening Allegro.

The first 11 minutes of the symphony came up with white-knuckle tension; crescendos were positive roars, and the APO strings, led by guest concertmaster Roxana Pavel, were at their most potent.

What: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Where: Auckland Town Hall