By Ben Nielsen
The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra’s Titanic Anniversary commemorated the centenary of the vessel’s fateful maiden voyage. Directed by guest conductor Guy Noble, the ASO joined forces with local actors Paul Blackwell and Alexandra Rice in a combination of music and narrative.
The performance told the story of the Titanic from construction to sinking through a selection of historical observations, poetry and anecdotes; with a cleverly designed musical tableaux accompanying the acting.
Amongst others, the evening’s program included works by Britten, Elgar and Chopin. The repertoire was a fitting selection of music of the era, repertoire played aboard the ship and that performed at the memorial concert in the Royal Albert Hall.
Adelaide acting veteran Paul Blackwell provided a great performance, as did freshly graduated Alexandra Rice. Both demonstrated their acting finesse with multiple convincing characterisations that supplemented the primary narration, as well as an endearing song and dance number (Glover-Kind’s I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside).
The ASO once more demonstrated its force and ability, both alone and as a soundtrack behind the actors. From the epic Overture from Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman to the sombre Nearer, My God, to Thee by Mason, the orchestra superbly portrayed the diversity of emotion, and in a manner similar to a film score, made it easy to visualise the dramatic narrative.
The performance concluded with Elgar’s inimitable Enigma Variations: IX Nimrod, a highlight and fittingly sentimental finale.
Titanic Anniversary was another spectacular performance presented by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.
Kryztoff Rating 5K
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