Music / National Capital Orchestra and Mia Stanton. At Snow Concert Hall, March 29. Reviewed by SAM WILSON.

A contemporary Australian fanfare, a violin concerto and a French symphony combined into an enthralling afternoon of symphonic music.

Three trumpets, playing in canon, broke the silence before being joined by the full force of a symphony orchestra in Sonic Boom, a 2001 fanfare by Australian composer Natalie Williams. According to the composer, the piece explores the concept of breaking the sound barrier, with exciting and dramatic swells.

The contrast between dissonance and powerful major chords was certainly interesting, and while clarity of articulation was slightly lacking at times, the orchestra showcased its full and layered sound, especially its brass and percussion sections. It was well received too, and the composer Natalie Williams, sitting in the audience, received enthusiastic applause.

After delivering the audience a warm welcome and funny introduction, conductor Louis Sharpe welcomed violinist Mia Stanton to the stage. A member of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Stanton was excited to play in her home city of Canberra.

The famous opening theme of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor filled the hall, and while Stanton took some time to fully establish her  sound, her technical proficiency was soon on full display as she flew through accurate octaves and fast runs. Stanton and Sharpe showed great communication and concerto sensibility, with Stanton’s full tone projecting well over the orchestra, which in turn was clear and forceful its tutti sections. The cadenza was also a highlight, as Stanton successfully commanded the space as she explored the full range of the violin.

The second movement took the energy down, and Mendelssohn’s long song-like melodies shone with Stanton’s rich tone, which was not compromised by the difficulty of the double-stop passages.

The third movement was an energetic allegro, a challenge for both soloist and orchestra, with Sharpe doing well to keep the fast solo and wind passages in time. Stanton’s articulation was also on display in this movement, as she showed purposeful phrasing and precise up-bow staccato. The music only seemed to accelerate, culminating in a triumphant finale greeted by strong applause from an audience impressed by this virtuosic and complex concerto.

After an intermission, Sharpe introduced Saint-Saëns’ third symphony, a piece that was the composer’s final symphonic work and one that the composer ‘gave everything’ to.

After a slow introduction, the C minor theme began, its challenging syncopated semiquavers handled well by the strings and winds. The first movement also features longer melodies, which sounded especially good from the cor anglais and flutes. A wide dynamic range was used to great effect, with pianissimo strings growing into a fortissimo sound that filled the concert hall.

After a soft ending to the first movement, the organ softly sounded a deep, reverberating D-flat major chord and the strings in unison played the beautiful adagio theme, maintaining a rich tone through the pianissimo dynamic, before being joined by the french horn and clarinets.

The third movement, again in C minor, featured accented strings and atmospheric piano scales, with the percussion section standing out especially for their excellence. This led without pause into the majestic fourth and final movement, with powerful organ chords reverberating, unfortunately however causing some crackling in the speaker system. Regardless, Sharpe brought this magnificent symphony to a triumphant end.

While this program was ambitious for a community-driven orchestra, The skill of soloist Mia Stanton, as well as the orchestra, combined with Louis Sharpe’s lively and dynamic conducting made for an enthralling and well received afternoon of orchestral music.

News all day, every day at CityNews.com.au.