Opera singer and composer Deborah CheethamCredit:Eddie Jim
What better work to capture the mood than Beethoven’s Eroica symphony? Having snaked their way into the auditorium after completing registration requirements, socially distanced music lovers probably thought nothing of the increased physical distance between them and the orchestra, such a precaution insignificant after the emotional deprivations of the past 12 months.
Echoing the heroic vein, the first performance of Nanyubak, a commission from MSO 2020 composer in residence Deborah Cheetham provided a colourful curtain-raiser. Cheetham wrote the work, the first movement of a projected viola concerto, in 2020, “a year of loss, sorrow and confusion†that she likened to “a physical blow†and a deafening silence.
It was a surprise, therefore, to listen to a predominantly lyrical work that kept the meaning of the title (“to dream†in Yorta Yorta) in view. Noongar violist Aaron Wyatt was an eloquent advocate, but occasionally the work’s emotional power was dented when the solo material, predominantly in the viola’s lower and middle registers, was masked by doublings and orchestral tuttis.
Spanish maestro Jaime Martin brought a “big picture†approach to the Eroica, sculpting a rhythmically lithe performance that emphasised the work’s long lines, and generally adopted brisk tempos. This brought mixed blessings to a score that is as broadly conceived as it is finely detailed.
An ebullient scherzo with shining horn tone and good dynamic control was a welcome antidote after a funeral march that was listless rather than urgent. This heroic march needed to sound more like a march. Such unevenness robbed the finale of some of its cumulative triumph despite some finely honed playing along the way.
A little unevenness, though, is unlikely to daunt heroic determination.
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