![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/umberto-clerici-.jpg\")
Umberto Clerici<\/p>\nReviewed by John Daly-Peoples<\/p>\n
Umberto Clerici<\/p>\n
Australian Music: Umberto Clerici Conducts Dvorak<\/p>\n
Concert Hall<\/p>\n
Sydney Opera Houseouase<\/p>\n
September 18<\/p>\n
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples<\/p>\n
In February 2022 as Auckland was coming out of Covid lockdown the Auckland Philharmonia gave a special performance in the Town Hall to 100 masked patrons. It was the orchestra\u2019s first concert after nearly two years and the major work on the programme was Dvorak\u2019s Symphony No 8, a joyful work sounding the relief after many days of seclusion.<\/p>\n
Last week the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was playing the Dvorak symphony as part of their Tea & Symphony series which feature one-hour daytime orchestral performances at the Sydney Opera House complete with complimentary tea and biscuits.<\/p>\n
The symphony is like the soundscape to a Czech epic tale with a mixture of nature, landscape, events and dancing, it is the music of adventures, heroics, and larger than life figures,<\/p>\n
Like other composers of the period there is a strong element of nationalism to the music similar to the earlier works of Jean Sibelius\u2019 \u00a0such as \u201cFinlandia\u201d and Edward Greig\u2019s \u201cPeer Gynt Suites\u201d.<\/p>\n
The music is focused on the landscape and ethos of the country with Dvorak presenting changing moods and unfolding spectacle. He moves from the playful to the picaresque, from the dramatic to the contemplative. There is wit and there is angst all skilfully delivered by conductor Umberto Clerici.<\/p>\n
After the honeyed tones of the opening and the sweetness of the flutes the orchestra erupted with joyous celebratory tones flecked with hints of drama. Then we heard bird-like sounds from the strings followed by some ferocious sounds from the percussion heralding a triumphant Nature.<\/p>\n
The second movement featured a flowing dance sequence illuminated by woodwinds and flutes. Then after a mysterious segment there was another spritely dance sequence featuring strings, brass and woodwinds.<\/p>\n
The third movement was full of shimmering sounds creating a spring-like impression full of joy followed by passages of dark foreboding while the fourth movement opens with a big, bold march tune which morphed into a sequence of Czech dance tunes such as the polka, Dvorak turning these simple melodies into clever musical inventions.<\/p>\n
The final movement opens with commanding brass fanfare that is followed by the cello which introduced the lyrical main theme\u2014a distinctly Czech melody consisting of wide-ranging variations which shift dynamically between moments of fiery, rustic energy and tender, introspective beauty.<\/p>\n
The first work on the programme was Ligeti\u2019s \u201cRomanian Concerto\u201c which like Dvorak\u2019s Symphony was a nationalistic work with the composer responding to the sounds of Romanian village band.<\/p>\n
The work composed in1951 opens with a sweeping landscape common to many composers reacting to their country\u2019s nationalist sympathies. The flute sounds hinting at the bright glint of light on water also suggested the dawn of a new era of modernist composition.<\/p>\n
Then there were rousing sounds from the woodwinds referencing lively, dance themes as well as some quirky abrupt, sequences and some rustic sounds from the horns. There were also mysterious, restless passages with the sounds of gypsy strings which Legeti recalled from his youth.<\/p>\n
The way in which he wrote the music of the village bands with a slight discordant sound was regarded by the authorities as incorrect and led to the work being banned for many years.<\/p>\n
Future Sydney Symphony Orchestra concerts<\/p>\n
October 30 \u2013 31 Mendelssohn\u2019s Elijah with Bryn Terfel<\/p>\n
November 6 -8 Simone Young conducts Mozart & Bach<\/p>\n
November 19 \u2013 22 Simone Young conducts Gotterdammerung<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples Umberto Clerici Australian Music: Umberto Clerici Conducts Dvorak Concert Hall Sydney Opera Houseouase September…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":606668,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-606667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606667"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606667\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}