As part of the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Spotlight 2013, the outstanding talents of Ashley William Smith and Aura Go were brought into focus with a range of diverse yet thoughtfully integrated selection of important works for clarinet and piano. The fairly adventurous nature of their programming was heralded by the tastefully punk chic appearance of Smith, like a Nigel Kennedy of the clarinet.
Although this was their debut under the name ‘Australia Felix’, their collaboration stems from their years together at the Australian National Academy of Music and at Yale University in the United States, where they furthered their studies as full scholarship students mentored by David Shifrin and Peter Frankl – two of the world’s leading exponents of the clarinet and piano recital repertoire.
The inspiration for this program came from their collaboration in the 2008 Metropolis New Music Festival, where they were asked to perform Jörg Widmann’s Fünf Bruckstücke. Since Widmann felt a great affinity with Schumann, it was fitting that his work was bookended by Schumann’s Drei Fantasiestücke and a movement from his Three Romances, even though the styles of the two composers are poles apart in many respects. They do share the ability to distill musical ideas into short forms of expression, but the change in mood from the abundant emotional out-pouring of Schumann’s romantic lyricism was a far cry from the extremes of Widmann’s sonorities. The fact that the works of both composers were so expertly played was a testimony to the technical and musical talents of both performers. Aura Go’s playing was full of the light and shade and forward momentum that makes Schumann sing and Smith’s clarinet was at one with her rhythmic drive. Although a less penetrating sound at the top of the clarinet register would have been preferable in such a small venue, the performance of the Schumann pieces demonstrated a collaboration that results from a shared musical understanding and considerable experience as a duo.
The Widmann pieces are concise, but make significant demands, particularly on the clarinetist. The capacity to encompass a huge range of pitch and dynamic as well as having superlative breath were demonstrated at all times by Smith. Further explorations of timbre and colour were required of Go as she played directly on the piano strings or manipulated them to alter the sound. The theatricality of the pieces and the skill in their delivery certainly had an emotional impact on the listener; whether it was the one desired is debatable, but there is no doubt that everybody was fully awake and engaged.
Although possibly a little less extreme in its language, Berg’s Vier Stücke certainly drew on formidable technical resources. Again, the changes in mood were underlined by a full commitment to musical expression, whether in a full frontal aggressive assault or the most sensitive lyricism. The slow chords from the keyboard against an ethereal pianissimo from the clarinet in the final movement combined to create a magical conclusion to this work.
The more expansive brand of Romanticism demanded for the Brahms’ sonata was given a warm and full-bodied treatment by both artists.
As Smith explained at the end of the recital, the choice of the second movement from Weber’s Grand Duo Concertant as an encore piece was motivated by his love of opera and the belief that the clarinet reflects the human voice and its capacity to express passion and drama. Together with Go, this belief was amply demonstrated by the quality of their music making and their ability to communicate with an appreciative audience. Undoubtedly, this will be the first of many fine performances by Australia Felix.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Australia Felix
Ashley William Smith, clarinet
Aura Go, piano
Program
SCHUMANN Fantasiestücke Op.73
WIDMANN Fünf Bruckstücke
SCHUMANN ‘Nicht schnell’ from Three Romances Op.94
BERG Vier Stücke, Op.5
BRAHMS Sonata for Clarinet & Piano No.2 in E flat major, Op.120
Melbourne Recital Centre, Salon
7 August
