With numerous connecting links between them, the passionate works of the Mendelssohn siblings and Frédéric Chopin, all written within two decades in the early Romantic era, served as the the well-thought-out thread, by which the Australian Chamber Orchestra connected the programme of their latest subscription series.
Felix Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto for violin, piano and strings in D minor, an ambitiously juvenile composition opened the evening. Artistic Director Richard Tognetti took the solo violin part next to pianist Polina Leschenko, a relatively frequent guest artist with the orchestra. The plasticity of the orchestral opening revealed trademark ACO strengths: elegant phrasing, soft dynamics juxtaposed with stormy passages and a flawless balance within the instrumental parts. The soloists had no difficulties whatsoever amalgamating their mutually eloquent, technical fireworks with a flexible and languid approach to tempo and musical characters.
Leschenko's feather-light touch on the keyboard never once threatened her partner's wide range of tonal expression and their ensemble was impeccable; not a mean feat, considering that Tognetti, while energetically leading his orchestra, was constantly positioned behind her back, effectively forcing her to repeatedly look back at him for their joint entries. The slow movement demonstrated an elegantly subdued and perfectly toned duet between the two of them. Elsewhere, however, the pianist’s unfailingly intimate playing style was often contrasted, not always in the best possible way, by her partner’s extravagant portamenti (shifts on the fingerboard) and idiosyncratic alterations between a complete lack of vibrato (appropriately reminding the listener to historical performance practices) and its total opposite (more familiar perhaps from the playing style of Kreisler). Their playing was nonetheless connected by dazzling virtuosity and a natural elegance of their musical equivalent of a tight-rope dance, high up and without a safety net.
Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 2 in F minor is actually his first composition in this genre, although it was published after his other masterpiece in E minor. Despite a brilliantly written solo part, the 19-year-old composer apparently used help with the orchestration of the work, which was taken by later musicians, such as pianist Alfred Cortot and conductor Mikhail Pletnev, as a licence to alter the accompaniment. The ACO went even further and turned to Ilan Rogoff’s arrangement, eliminating the woodwind, brass and timpani altogether – an unwelcome change, for example, in the opening gentle dialogue (originally) between strings and woodwinds of the slow movement.
Leschenko’s playing impressed with both its easy-going yet immaculate articulation and confident control over the fastest runs. Her nimble fingers created the countless shades of the composer’s rubato effortlessly; perhaps at times too much so, as the elegant melismatic runs repeatedly sparkled with sequins, rather than bringing out the underlying melodic contour of Chopin’s melancholic melodies.
The interpretation of the final work, Fanny Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E flat major gradually improved from an anaemic opening through the confident Scherzo and then, the sympathetic playing of the Romanze. The last movement brought joy, as it offered plenty of opportunities for the ACO to showcase their exceptional technical skills, with robust energy and brisk tempos.
