We would have remembered
the name of the soprano singer, and probably shed a tear or two when she
reached the unnaturally high octave during the moving scene of bidding farewell
to her dying lover. But high chance is, we wouldn’t have noticed that cellist seated
beneath the stage, who struck the most perfect melody during the entire 3 hours
of the opera session.
You might have
felt your heart throbbing in excitement when the graceful ballerina did the
most stunning Grand Jete split in the air, and would have given those amazing
dancers a standing ovation by the end of the extraordinary show. But huge
chance is, you wouldn’t have taken a careful glance at the flutist that blew
the most emotional piece of music accompanying the touching pirouette during
the ballet performance.
They are the
invisible hands, the out-of-view musicians that produce the loveliest renditions
for the Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, Victorian Opera and The Production
Company. First established in year 1969, the Orchestra Victoria has come a long
way, having changed its name thrice, and has its ownership transferred from one
entity to another before settling down as a wholly owned subsidiary of the
Australian Ballet in 2014.
The orchestra
has had its fair share of financial crisis (an unsurprising phenomenon
besieging many artistic organizations in the world). The orchestra was nearly at the stage of insolvency just few years back. After all, it is an expensive
project to fund the operational costs of a successful music body: a few million
dollars per year is the bare minimum costs to keep an orchestra up and running.
To supply reed and maintain a clarinet, a total of $68 per month is needed; a
music stand costs $210 per piece, and a pair of custom-made moulded earplugs
costs a staggering price of $380.
“Five at 5” is a series of five concerts with free admission held on five Saturdays at 5pm
throughout 2016. We attended the third session recently on 23 April 2016. It
was a beautiful one-hour performance with a rare focus on the woodwind
instruments.
The flute,
oboe, cor anglais (English horn), clarinet and bassoon belong to one of the
humblest instrument families in an orchestra. Unlike the string instruments,
the woodwind family would have to put up quite a struggle to create similar
flamboyant and intensive range of tones as the violin. They are never the
loudest, highest sounding, or the most prominent instruments in the musical
family.
The harmonies
produced by the woodwind family are soothing and pacifying. We listened attentively
to the warm conversations between two calming baritones from the bassoons,
started with the joyous and positive Allegro by Francisco Mignone, followed by
his equally playful and rapid duet of Rondo-Chorinho with a sudden change of
mood in the mid. The deep and mellow dialogues of the two clarinets in the
Sonata by Francis Poulenc were mesmerizing; the first movement of Presto was
mysterious, the second movement of Andante was hypnotic but somewhat gloomy,
and the last movement of Vif brought unexpected agility to the somber atmosphere.
The Ecstatic
Dances for Two Flutes was a long conversation between two nocturnal animals in
the quiet forest, telling their life stories in the darkness. The compositions by Eugene Bozza are a
harmonious choir of flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon. The audience was brought into a
roller coaster of emotions: from slow and moody, dynamic and fun, to solemn and
blue.
The woodwind
concert performed by the Orchestra Victoria was an enthralling musical
experience, alluring and reaching to the deepest of feelings.
Upcoming Five
at 5 Performances:
6 August 2016,
brass ensemble (venue yet to be confirmed)
19 November
2016 (at Orchestra Victoria studio in Albert Park)
Free Admission
