This elite ensemble, drawn from Perth Symphony Orchestra’s players, hit the stage with fireworks and the support of an enthusiastic audience for its first outing. Excellent sponsorship from Murdoch University, AHG and Melville City Council meant there was free admission if you didn’t want to sit in the outdoor equivalent of the dress circle, and an excellent crowd of music-lovers took advantage of the chance to enjoy an outdoor event at Murdoch University on one of Perth’s famous balmy summer evenings.
Under the practised baton of Chief Conductor Jessica Gethin and led by the very talented concertmaster Paul Wright, the wind and string ensemble backed a select list of guest artists including soloists Sophie Foster and Mark Underwood. The company’s Executive Director, Bourby Webster, tied the acts together as compere with her usual flair and confidence.
I can think of no better opening number for a new ensemble than the ‘Peter Gunn’ theme, with its tension-building suggestion of danger, or at least of the unexpected. The opening was, perhaps, a little too loud from the strings, but the vagaries of sound for outdoor performances are as excusable as they are unpredictable.
The varied program would have kept our toes tapping had our feet been on a hard floor rather than the lovely grassy slope of Murdoch University’s Bush Court. Michael Boublé’s ‘Let Me Go Home’, sung by Mark Underwood, and Carson Park’s’ Something Stupid’ from Sophie Foster, each provided in its own way a beautiful contrast to ‘Peter Gunn’. Another change of pace with Led Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir’ from the ensemble. For the very first time, I noticed how like this piece is to the work of Rimsky Korsakov!
Justin Burford’s rendition of ‘It’s a Wonderful World’, with its slightly bitter-sweet flavour, provided another change of pace, demonstrating the versatility of PSO’s musicians. Mark Underwood took the floor again, this time with ‘I go Sailing’ and ‘Crazy Little Thing called Love’.
Sophie Foster returned with the Dance Collective to perform ‘Skyfall’. While the young dancers performed well, they really didn’t have enough space. I would suggest that if visual acts are to a part of future concerts, an apron stage might be a good investment.
The audience was invited to dance the last two numbers, and many of us were shaking invisible tail feathers as the evening drew to a close.
One small gripe – no printed program. The names of the introductory acts escaped me, and I cannot be sure I noted all the performed items. Even a photocopied list of numbers, naming the performers, would have been nice- not only for absent-minded old critics, but for the young performers who would have had something tangible to mention on their CVs.
PSO has a full calendar over the next few months, with a woodwind ensemble giving ‘pop-up performances’ over the first week or two of March and An Irish Night at the GPO building in Perth from 6-17 March. Check out their website at perthsymphony.com for more details.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out 5
Music @ Murdoch
Perth Symphony Big Band & Strings
Bush Court, Murdoch University, Perth
21 February 2016
