ACO Shines in The Red Tree

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The latest offering from the Australian Chamber Orchestra is a collaboration with artist Shaun Tan and the Sydney based children’s choir, Gondwana Voices. The programme consisted of Dmitri Shostakovich’s 15th String Quartet in E-flat minor, and of a new work entitled The Red Tree, after the book written by Shaun Tan, composed by Michael Yezerski and Richard Tognetti.

The ACO play with a consistently beautiful sound, and their performance of the Shostakovich Quartet was no exception. The work consists of six Adagio movements and is a notoriously difficult one to perform; Richard Tognetti led the ensemble through a precise and sensitive performance of a quality that is not often heard in this country. The orchestra were perfectly together for the duration of the work, and the intonation of the ensemble, even during the quiet senza vibrato sections, was perfect.

Ironically, the weakest parts of the performance were during the solo passages in which Tognetti’s arrangement is closest to the original quartet; Principle Cellist Timo-Veikko Valve played his solos musically but was inconsistent in his intonation, and a cadenza-like passage in the third movement that would have suited a solo player was given to the entire first violin section.

A special mention goes to Principal Bassist Maxime Bibeau, who grounded the orchestra both harmonically and rhythmically in a performance that was not only technically accomplished, but also extraordinarily musical. Tognetti and Helena Rathbone also led the first and second violins with accuracy and panache.

Despite the fact that Shaun Tan’s art suited the Shostakovich perfectly in terms of atmosphere, the manner of the juxtaposition left something to be desired. While the projections above the orchestra initially depicted a migrant narrative, the story was soon abandoned in favour of more abstract images that distracted, rather than added to the performance. Occasionally however, there were images that resonated powerfully with Shostakovich’s work – one depicted a lone figure standing in the shadow of a ruined town, while black snow swirled about him.

Yezerski and Tognetti’s The Red Tree was inspired directly by Tan’s book, making the union of music and art in the second half much more effective and seamless. Neither aspect of the performance detracted from the other; they combined to create a wholly successful work that engaged both the eyes and the ears of the audience.

Lyn Williams conducted the work competently, and deserves accolades for the way in which she prepared the singers of Gondwana Voices, who sang like angels. The ensemble and intonation of the children’s choir was flawless, and the soloists sang parts that many professional singers would have had serious trouble with.

The orchestra played just as well in the second half as they had in the first, infusing the work with drama and passion. Brian Nixon joined the orchestra on percussion, giving the ensemble extra punch during the loud and fast movements.

The Red Tree was a wonderful concert experience: lacklustre visuals in the first half could not dampen the effectiveness of Shostakovich’s music, and the combination of Tan’s breathtaking art and impeccable performances from the ACO and Gondwana Voices in the second half both pleased and excited the Sydney audience.

Adam Szabo, ACO Community Reviewer