Music / Movement – Strings in Motion, Musica Da Camera. At Holy Covenant Anglican Church, Cook, June 27. Reviewed by LEN POWER.

It was difficult to sit still at this Musica Da Camera concert with its infectious exploration of rhythm, dance and groove.

Directed by Brad Tham, the four works presented could not have been more different, ranging from Stomp & Slide by Holly Harrison, Five Greek Dances by Nikos Skalkottas, Triptyque for String Orchestra by Yasushi Akutagawa and St Paul’s Suite by Gustav Holst.

Jumping in at the deep end with Stomp & Slide from 2024 by young Australian, Holly Harrison, the chamber string orchestra was not fazed by the demands of this extraordinary composition.  Quirky, unpredictable and intense, it created a world of its own with raw emotion, underlying humour and driving rhythms. This complex work was given a dynamic and confident performance by the orchestra.

Five Greek Dances by Nikos Skalkottas were composed in the early 1930s. These distinctive dances, depicting musical textures from various parts of Greece, varied from folksy to passionate, melodic and jaunty.  Each dance had intense driving rhythms and the orchestra’s fine performance brought out all the colour and drama in this work.

First performed in 1953, Triptyque for String Orchestra by Japan’s Yasushi Akutagawa, had three distinct movements that were linked by the repeated use of the opening rhythmic figure. The dramatic and driving first movement contrasted with the lyrical and gentle second movement – a lullaby – in which the rhythmic presence was highlighted by the cello and viola players knocking on the body of their instruments. The busy third movement brought back the rhythmic figure in its reversed form, leading to a grand finale. It was well played by the orchestra.

The final work of the concert was Gustav Holst’s St Paul’s Suite. This work in four movements, composed in 1912, combined lively rhythms, rich harmonies and English folk influences. The haunting violin solo of the third movement, intermezzo, was given a beautiful performance by Jocelyn James and the orchestra gave this popular work a sensitive performance.

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