Popular work gets polished treatment

FOR its final concert of the year Orchestra Wellington was back in the Michael Fowler Centre, and a large audience was there, drawn, no doubt, by the Carmina Burana on offer.

This work, made popular by television adverts and its use as film music, is a lusty, percussiondominated work originally intended for stage production. But these days we hear it as a cantata – as a result, for all the familiar drama, it is rather repetitive.

Based on medieval texts and premiered in Nazi Germany (1936) it was the high point in Carl Orff’s rhythm-based education philosophy for children, designed to combine music, gymnastics and dance. Clearly it was modelled on Stravinsky’s Les Noces.

It is a simple work, with little harmony or polyphonic interest, but was here performed with admirable directness and vigour. The choral singing was polished and precise, the three soloists were excellent and the orchestra –

The choral singing was polished and precise, the three soloists were excellent and the orchestra – with dominant brass and percussion – was just fine.

with dominant brass and percussion – was just fine.

The first half featured the final instalment in Marc Taddei’s journey through Haydn’s Paris symphonies with No 87 in A major. Here the size of the acoustic space suggested a much larger string complement would have been more successful – this performance for all its polish was just a touch lacking in drama and bite.

This time last year, we were introduced to the Arohanui Strings, a group of young string players being taught in a way modelled on the famous El Sistema system.

This year, we heard them again in a heart-warming reminder of just what an important initiative this is.

These youngsters deserve more support.