Oboe concerto enchanting
Soloist Thomas Hutchinson navigates Strauss perfectly but strings do not fare so well
The opportunity to hear Richard Strauss’ gorgeous Oboe Concerto is not to be passed over lightly and, with Thomas Hutchinson as soloist, it was an irresistible drawcard for Bach Musica’s Oboe Spectacular on Sunday.
Playing from memory, the talented young musician navigated the score’s many devious twists and turns, giving its autumnal ambience a freshness and vitality more associated with spring.
Written at the end of World War II, this concerto finds Strauss looking back to happier and more tonal times. Its nostalgia, easy for the audience, can be treacherous for the players.
Within two bars, Hutchinson captivated us with more than 50 bars of rapturous outpouring. We marvelled at a fear-inducing cadenza being transformed into yet another autumnal song, and thrilled during the capricious Finale.
The strings did not fare quite so well and violins had their steely moments, yet conductor Rita Paczian did uncover the life force that lies within this most elastic and elusive of works.
John Rutter’s 1990 Magnificat proved to be another piece that looks back in its musical language, albeit to far less distinguished models.
For those with a taste for choral music as confectionery, served up with sugary harmonies and tangy rhythmic ploys, this is for you.
Nick Richardson certainly made a crisp job of conducting, but the unrelenting triteness of Rutter’s material numbs the spirit.
Before long, some wan lines from the men took their toll in the opening movement; by the end of the second, flat women’s voices could not be disguised by a kitsch blend of harp, oboe and horn with schmaltzy strings.
Soloist Morag Atchison proved a godsend. Her lustrous soprano had just the right intensity and she charmed with Et misericordia.