Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra reviewed: William Dart on Bach & Brahms

Soloist Stefan Dohr performed with the APO as part of a global tour, premiering a new horn concerto by the Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen. Photo / Simon Pauly

What: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra – Bach & Brahms
Where: Auckland Town Hall
Reviewer: William Dart

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra launched its New Zealand Herald Premier series in Baroque splendour.

A smallish band of musicians, mostly standing, gave us a full, ceremonial welcome with Bach's third orchestral suite.

Giordano Bellincampi put a confident stride into its Overture, spurred on by rousing trumpets and drums; in the well-known Air, the conductor stressed that the first violins did not have a monopoly on Bach's shapely melodies.

Soloist Stefan Dohr was here as part of a global tour, premiering a new horn concerto by the Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen. The APO is one of five international orchestras that commissioned the piece and here, just days after Berlin and Tokyo, Auckland was the third audience to hear it.

Abrahamsen has penned a score that is admirably lithe and lean. Dohr set off by blending long-held notes into passing orchestral textures, creating the effect of single chords of many colours.

Peremptory snare drum announced the second movement, extending the sonic domain and giving the virtuoso soloist an opportunity to rove about, with hunting calls and fiery outbursts, even if he signed off in the tranquil company of celeste and piccolo.

There was thunder and much adrenalin afoot in the finale, propelled by some dizzying scales but, once again, it all ended in beautifully sustained reflection.

Three years ago, when Dohr played Messiaen's Interstellar Call as an encore, it was bracing relief after a conservative Richard Strauss concerto. Here, after Abrahamsen's stimulating new work, it was a timely reminder of the rich and vast world of contemporary music.

After interval, Bellincampi's utter adoration of Brahms' Second symphony showed on his face and in the sweep of his hands, as he effortlessly underlined the subtle rhythmic play of its joyous first movement. Even in its dark-hued Adagio, there was grace, pages before Brahms asks for it, and the lightness and buoyancy of its scherzo proved the perfect foil for a storming, celebratory Allegro con spirito.