Beethoven Septet & Farrenc Nonet (Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra)
Two works that helped establish their composers with the wider public given an exemplary showcase by Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra.
The Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra’s latest tour is branded “New Perspectives” with the idea that the two works on the programme brought the outside social music of serenades or divertimento into the salon and, later, the concert hall where people sat and actually listened.
The other common thread is that the stripped-back ensemble is featuring two pieces that helped establish their composers with the wider public. Beethoven’s Septet was a hit for the 29-year-old that ended up dogging him for decades. Louise Farrenc’s Nonet attested that here was a woman to be taken seriously, and helped her win her campaign for equal pay at the Paris Conservatoire where she was a professor for 30 years.
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The ensemble’s handling of Beethoven’s Septet was exemplary, with the interweaving of strings and winds in the melting Adagio cantabile a memory to cherish.
Limelight, (4 June, 2023)