Sydney Symphony Orchestra | Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony
July 10, 2024, Sydney Opera House, NSW
STÉPHANE DENÈVE conductor
OLIVIER LATRY organ
GUILLAUME CONNESSON (born 1970) – Flammenschrift (2012) Australian premiere
FRANCIS POULENC (1899–1963) – Concerto in G minor for organ, strings and timpani
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835–1921) – Symphony No.3 in C minor, Op.78 (‘Organ’ Symphony)
The opportunity to hear one of the most renowned organists since JS Bach was not one I wanted to miss. French organist Olivier Latry has performed just about everywhere and as one of the titular organists at Notre-Dame in Paris he has been at the forefront of the masters of his instrument for about four decades. And not only is he an expert in music from times gone by but like the great musicians of every era he is a champion of the music of now and has given country premieres of works by Pascal Dusapin and Kaija Saariaho as well as having recorded the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen.
His playing in the Concerto in G minor for organ, strings and timpani by Poulenc was heavenly. His choice of colours was perfectly nuanced and his interplay with the orchestra was as if they play together every day. I was enchanted and so too was the near capacity audience. Stéphane Denève directed the string orchestra with care and gave freedom to the timpanist Antoine Siguré to balance the power of the organ – and he did so splendidly. Exquisite solos from cellist Simon Cobcroft, violist Tobias Breider and concertmaster Harry Bennetts.
After the concerto Latry played an arrangement of the opening movement of Bach’s Cantata 29, music that features the organ though it started life as the Prelude of the E major Violin Partita BWV 1006. An absolute knockout choice and one that thrilled everyone. The Sydney Opera House organ sounded wonderfully romantic and bold in this encore.
I expect that many in the audience were attracted to this concert by the inclusion of the Symphony No 3 by Camille Saint-Saëns and the performance did not let anyone down. Stéphane Denève shaped the work to create an unfolding story. His vision was on the big picture and not the superficial heroics of the music and still he gave rein to the orchestra and organist to let rip at the appropriate moments. Trombone principal Scott Kinmont and horn principal Euan Harvey were controlled in their delicate solos and the entire wind and brass section played with élan.
The concert opened with an oddity, Flammenschrift by the third French composer in this concert Guillaume Connesson. This was a work with lots of notes that reminded me of cartoon music similar to the theme for the TV show, The Simpsons. It was well played because the SSO found it strangely easy but for me it seemed seriously out of place in Sydney in this day and age.
Photo credit: Jay Patel
