Performance: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra

Town Hall

Review: Tara Werner

Douglas Lilburn's music seems imbued by the distinctive characteristics of the New Zealand landscape, whether it be the soaring mountains of the Southern Alps or the translucent blue lakes of Central Otago.

The influence is readily acknowledged by the composer, who once mentioned that a musician must "develop his awareness of the place he lives in, not attempting a mere imitation of nature in sounds, but seeking its inner values."

This aspect is very much in evidence in the Third Symphony, his most concise orchestral work, quite inward-looking in nature.

On Saturday night the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra under David Atherton performed a precise performance that brought out the symphony's harsh, uncompromising qualities.

Given that Sibelius' Fifth Symphony was also on the programme, comparisons are almost mandatory. Lilburn has made it clear that Sibelius has influenced his music and, revealingly, the two scores have much in common, especially in their economy of construction and magnificent use of brass.

But, surprisingly, this was a rather mannered interpretation of the Fifth, lacking any tautness in the first movement. The brass sounded a little subdued and yet they could have easily let rip.

Not until the very end of this majestic work did the orchestra galvanise into action, and the last spaced chords were satisfyingly tense.

Drama of another sort was at the core of the other major work performed, Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No 1. Like the Eighth Quartet with which it is often compared, the concerto is equally compelling, and Raphael Wallfisch performed a deeply felt and compassionate account.

Finally, the entree to this otherwise powerful programme was just that.

Spirals was a shallow piece by Craig Utting, the second finalist in the Music 2000 Prize. Even though it portrayed the high spirits of young children, this music could surely have been less blatantly barnstorming, and much more subtle in effect.