Pictures at an Exhibition

The title says it all: From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs: Part 1 – The Invocation of the Sea. A classic in the Aotearoa repertoire, Gareth Farr’s sparkling and vibrant work built from the gentlest ripple on the water, through the sounds of pan-Pacific drums and bells, to a breathtaking invocation, a call from the sea itself.

Next came the world premiere of Guillaume Connesson’s Danses Concertantes, Concerto No. 2 for Flute and Orchestra. Seven dances, alternately fast and slow, showcased the remarkable talent of Emily Beynon. We were flung straight into a frenetic and, for Beynon, fiercely complex first movement, followed by an abruptly gentle and melodic second movement. If Beynon’s technical mastery of her instrument was on fire in the fast movements, it was her exquisite clean and clear tone and sensitive expression that shone in the very beautiful slow dances. The sixth movement was something really special. The balance between orchestra and flute was immaculate through different states, feelings, and sounds, using the flute’s lower register to great emotional effect. Beynon’s performance was a masterclass in the range of sound and sentiment this virtuoso can draw from her instrument.

Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition started life as a suite for solo piano. Almost 50 years later, Maurice Ravel orchestrated the suite and created the rich and luxurious piece we love so well today. The music depicts the patron walking (promenading) through the exhibition hall, looking at 10 pictures. Under Gemma New’s direction, the orchestra produced a highly colourful sound, rich in variety, tone, mood, and texture. The orchestration and interpretation, with the connecting promenade theme, created a wholeness to the experience, easily visualised even without knowing the detail of each picture. The finale was colossal, music and paintings surrounding the audience in a mass of sound and vision and intensity. This is an exhibition you would want to experience.