Review: Manawatū Youth Orchestra excels at conveying musical imagery

Composer Sai Natarajan's work We Yearn to Tell Stories was filled with interwoven moments - some suspenseful, some peaceful and proximate, some regal and adventurous. Photo / Supplied

Manawatū Youth Orchestra Spring Concert
Saturday, October 30
Speirs Centre
Reviewed by Maria Sokolova

The Manawatū Youth Orchestra celebrated its 60th anniversary with its annual Spring Concert.

The social distancing measures did not prevent the audience from connecting with each other and the players through the music.

The concert started with Turkish Fragments by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. I was immediately drawn in by the intricate harmonies and playful pulse of the first movement, accented by the lively percussion section. I was impressed by the dynamic range of the young players as they navigated the crescendos and contrasting loud and soft sections of this piece.

Next came the main event - the premiere of a piece by Palmerston North composer Sai Natarajan.

Being a former member of the orchestra, Natarajan graciously offered it the chance to be the first to play his composition We Yearn to Tell Stories. The piece was filled with interwoven moments - some suspenseful, some peaceful and proximate, some regal and adventurous. I was honoured to be one of the first to be taken on this otherworldly journey.

After the brief interval came one of my all-time favourite works - Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky. The orchestra excelled at conveying the musical imagery of the work.

I could imagine myself walking through the exhibition pondering the picture prior as each variation of the promenade played. The bass end of the orchestra gave The Hut on Fowl's Legs the menacing and energetic aura it deserved. I felt as if at any moment the baba yaga would appear from an unlit corner of the auditorium.

The Great Gate of Kiev was the perfect, majestic finale for this special anniversary concert. At this moment the orchestra sounded at its fullest and grandest, worthy of a bogatyr returning to Kiev from a courageous journey.

Throughout the concert, the orchestra showcased the control of their instruments with confident tremolos, crescendos, and quick changes between contrasting pieces. It was exciting to see so many rare instruments in our community. The cor anglaise, horn, bassoons and viola all contributed greatly to the rich orchestral sound heard.

All the different timbres of the orchestra were allowed a chance to shine through in this programme. I was stunned by confident solos, motifs that flowed through the whole orchestra, and various flourishes from the chimes, piccolo and oboe.

I am grateful I got to witness the fruits of years of practice from these young musicians and decades of support from the youth orchestra. I cannot wait to see what the next programme will entail.