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Unfinished Romance

A delightful night of romance and passion with the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra.
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The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra pictured.

The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra is a wonderful ensemble dedicated to playing music on the period instruments for which it was written, unmediated by amplification or other electronica.  Most of the musicians play standing up, even the cellos and basses, giving the performance a liveliness and immediacy that’s difficult to capture when seated.  It’s easy to imagine yourself in an 1800s salon listening to these pieces being played for the very first time.

The Unfinished Romance program featured works by two of the greats of Romantic music, Gioachino Rossini and Franz Schubert.  Nicole van Bruggen, Principal Clarinet and General Manager of the company, came on stage first to explain that Conductor Richard Gill was indisposed and his place at the podium would be taken by guest concertmaster Jakob Lehmann from Anima Eterna Brugge and Eroica Berlin.  This was an unexpected pleasure as he displayed a perfect sense of mood and timing and confident stick work. The ARCO’s own Rachael Beesley assumed her usual role of Concertmaster with grace and panache.

Rossini led the program with excerpts from The Barber of Seville, The Italian Girl in Algiers, and Cinderella.  It’s hard to think of a more popular opera buffa than the great Barber and the toe-tapping overture demonstrates why it has such an enduring appeal. 

The delightful mezzo soprano Fiona Campbell, resplendent in a floor length red sequinned gown, charmed the audience with every delicious note of the aria Una Voce Poco Fa.

From there, it was a stroll through Algiers and the romance of Cinderella, with Campbell teasing, flirting, and playing along in perfect character as her voice soared heavenward.

After interval, it was time for Schubert to shine with the Overture in C minor for strings and the famous Unfinished Symphony No 8. It is truly astonishing that Schubert composed over a thousand pieces and yet was only 31 years old when he died, sadly penniless and with insufficient means to pay for his funeral.  The Unfinished exhibits a style that, at the time, was unique to Schubert and this excellent performance highlighted every nuance, every delicate turn, and every emotional gesture.

Each section of the orchestra made a valuable contribution to the musical experience, with the period percussion especially engaging and some fine work from the flutes and oboes.

The ARCO will be back on stage in September with a program of Spohr and Mozart – highly recommended!

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5 

Unfinished Romance

PROGRAM:

Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868)
The Barber of Seville (1816)
Overture
Recit: Una voce poco fa; Aria: Io sono docile
Gioacchino Rossini
The Italian Girl in Algiers (1813)
Overture
Aria: Cruda sorte! Amor tiranno!
Gioacchino Rossini
Cinderella (1816)
Recit: Nacqui all’affanno; Aria: Non piu mesta
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Overture in C minor D.8 for Strings (1811)
Franz Schubert
‘Unfinished’ Symphony No.8 in B minor D.759 (1822)
PERFORMERS:
The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra
Guest Conductor – Jakob Lehmann
Soloist – Fiona Campbell

Two performances only, Sydney Recital Hall 20.5.2017 and Melbourne Recital Centre 22.5.2017. Sydney performance reviewed.

Dr Diana Carroll
About the Author
Dr Diana Carroll is a writer, speaker, and reviewer based in Adelaide. Her work has been published in newspapers and magazines including the SMH, the Oz, Woman's Day, and B&T. Writing about the arts is one of her great passions.