Music / “Melodies in Autumn”, Maruki Community Orchestra, conducted by John Gould; violin soloist, Georgina Chan. At Albert Hall, April 10.  Reviewed by LEN POWER.

“MELODIES in Autumn”, a selection of works from the romantic period by Weber, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saёns and Brahms, was a perfect way to spend the afternoon as the autumn sun streamed in through the windows of the Albert Hall.

Taking on an ambitious program of classical works does not faze the Maruki Community Orchestra, under the baton of conductor, John Gould.

Hard work in rehearsal paid off and you could see how much they were enjoying it, too.

The program commenced with Carl Maria von Weber’s “Oberon” Overture, composed for the opera of the same name in 1825. The orchestra played it with plenty of colour and with a good depth in the sound.  There was especially fine playing by the strings.

Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” (Fantasy Overture) has beautiful melodies but also undercurrents of tension that give it a darker tone. The orchestra captured that tension very well and the playing of the love theme by the flutes was effective.

The next item was Camille Saint-Saёns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 in B Minor, Opus 61.  Noted Canberra violin soloist Georgina Chan gave a fine performance of this work with the orchestra. She played with confidence and sensitivity.

Conductor John Gould had been her first violin teacher and his pride in conducting her in this work was clearly evident. The orchestra gave her fine support, playing very well throughout.

The final work presented was Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opus 73.  Of the four movements, the highlights were the second movement that was played with just the right level of emotion and also the final movement, which  was given a spirited performance.

The Maruki Community Orchestra is devoted to all musicians in the Canberra region – regardless of age, experience and skill level – who have strong interests in playing classical musical instruments in an orchestra environment and who wish to develop their skills and express their musicality.

Gould advised us that the orchestra was still in need of additional performers. On the strength of today’s performance, it would be a good training ground for anyone wishing to develop their music skills.