Unfortunately the city’s major newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald, neglected to review the only new major work to be premiered by the Sydney Symphony in 2009, not to mention the first time Gautier Capuçon, one of the world’s shining new cellists, performed in Sydney.

However, the country’s national newspaper, The Australian, was there and published this review. I reprint the review in full below followed by an Aussie artist’s reply to just criticism.

Gordon’s Lightfall worth the wait

Murray Black | September 11, 2009

The Australian

Sydney Symphony. Conductor: Richard Gill. Cello: Gautier Capuçon. Horn: Robert Johnson. Sydney Opera Hall. September 9. Program repeated today. Tickets: $48. Bookings:(02) 8215 4600

As Bill Lawry might have said, it was all happening at this Sydney Symphony concert: the world premiere of a new Australian work, the Sydney debut of one of the world’s finest young cellists and yet more trials to try to overcome the problematic acoustics of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

The acoustic enhancements consisted of curved timber panels straddling the rings above the stage and straight timber boards rigged up at the side of the hall.

Although unsightly, they seemed to improve the clarity and richness of sound from where I was sitting in the middle of the circle.

However, they also had a slight dampening effect, reducing the ability for the sound to sparkle and glow.

The world premiere, Australian composer Christopher Gordon’s Lightfall for horn and orchestra, had a 10-year gestation.

It was a finely crafted, two-movement work that unfolded with seamless fluidity. Gordon displayed a sure sense of structure and a sophisticated understanding of the orchestral palette.

The dark-hued colours and stately pace of the opening movement were reminiscent of the slowly evolving soundworlds of Sculthorpe and Ross Edwards punctuated by echoes of Shostakovich (piercing snare drum snaps, rasping woodwind interjections) and Rautavaara (chiming percussion chords). The second movement offered greater rhythmic and dynamic contrasts. Rippling string figures and pungent woodwind sonorities dominated, although they wore the influence of John Adams (particularly Harmonielehre and Nixon in China) a little too heavily.

Lightfall was written for the Sydney Symphony’s principal horn, Robert Johnson. He proved to be a persuasive advocate.

Even though it is demanding, the solo part needs to sustain line and shape rather than execute dazzling virtuosic feats. Maintaining an appealing, clear-toned sound, Johnson etched out his floating figures above the ever-changing orchestral textures with impressive clarity and stamina.

The concert’s other soloist was young French cellist Gautier Capuçon, who made his Sydney debut in Dvorak’s much-loved concerto. His solo performance turned out to be as pleasing to the ear as his countenance obviously was to the young women who wolf-whistled him.

Capuçon ’s richly resonant timbre and strong vibrato was ideally suited to the work’s late Romantic idiom. Equally impressive was his forceful projection and agile passagework.

Unfortunately, the orchestra’s sometimes terse, jerky phrasing and occasionally grating woodwind sonorities undermined the concerto’s melodic inspiration and lyrical warmth.

Handel’s Concerto grosso, Op. 6 No. 3, opened the concert. Although well balanced and cleanly articulated, the performance needed more energy, rhythmic verve and interpretative adventurousness to rise above adequacy.

Melencolia I (Albrecht Dürer (1514)

I must say I found this to be a positive review of Lightfall and was very pleased by it. Any similarity to the first four composers mentioned is, I believe, coincidental rather than the result of influence. However, I could be wrong; I am familiar with all the composers and often one’s subconscious is more apparent to others than it is to oneself.

The reviewer is quite correct when he writes “…wore the influence of John Adams a little too heavily.” Adams has been a guiding light for me in recent years, particularly in his quest to incorporate the vernacular (as he calls the various forms of popular music in our world) into his concert music and his desire to connect with audiences.

During the rehearsals of Lightfall I was thinking that this was the last time I could allow Adam’s influence to be so pronounced, that I should recognize the concerto as a personal landmark and move on along the individual path that I am discovering so late in life. I do, however, think that the influence in Lightfall is more the Adams of the 90’s and 00’s than the mentioned works of the 80’s.

A good excuse for some YouTube clips!

By the way, do you think the headline, ‘Gordon’s Lightfall…’ is one of those horrible puns (Gordon Lightfoot) that media sub-editors seem to think are desirable, or is it simply coincidence…or am I seeing someone’s subconscious at work?

• Wednesday 9th Sydney Lightfall - World premiere
• Thursday 10th Sydney Lightfall - Second performance
• Friday 11th Sydney Lightfall - Third performance (11am)
• Friday 11th Toronto Daybreakers - World premiere (11:59pm)
• Sunday 13th Toronto Mao’s Last Dancer - World premiere
• (Monday 21st Sydney Mao’s Last Dancer - Australian premiere)

Lightfall Premiere

The only way to get to Toronto on time was to miss the third performance of Lightfall. This was incredibly disappointing but there was no other way to manage the schedule. It is a 22-hour trip, including the wait at LAX, but thanks to the international date line we arrived in time for the midnight premiere of Daybreakers. It was screening as part of the Toronto Film Festival’s Midnight Madness program. Howls of applause and cheering would erupt from the audience at every sighting of blood. It was a surreal experience, after living Lightfall for so long, to be on the other side of the world without genuine sleep for thirty hours, staring at blood-dripping fangs with a screaming audience. Much to our delight Daybreakers was voted runner-up most popular film in the Midnight Madness program. (The winner was The Loved Ones, directed by Sean Byrne, who is a former directing-student of my wife’s.)

Daybreakers - A Subsider

With Saturday to acclimatise ourselves, the world premiere of Mao’s Last Dancer was on Sunday at the Winter Garden Theatre. This was a most extraordinary experience with a standing ovation that lasted well over five minutes. It started during the credits and it was impossible to hear my music. Eventually they just stopped the film; no-one was looking or listening.

There was a second screening at 9am on Wednesday morning. I attended the last twenty minutes then went on stage with screenwriter, Jan Sardi for a Q&A. You can see a picture and watch Movie Moxie’s Day 7  vlog about it here.

Mao’s Last Dancer was voted second most popular film of the festival (out of about 350 films).

Mao's Last Dancer: Huang Wen Bin as young Li Cunxin

Back in Sydney on 20 September, with our baggage lost, we got ready for the Australian premiere of MLD on Monday night. Again a wonderful audience response. The last four days has been a lot of scurrying around to get the artwork done for the soundtrack album. The CD will be released by Sony in Australia in October and will follow the film around the world as it opens territory by territory.

With all these premieres and travel I was ripped from Lightfall into another universe and consequently this blog ground to a halt for over a week right at the important moment. My apologies to those that have been waiting for reports on the concert.

Update 26 September. While googling for reactions to the Lightfall premiere that I could add to 44: The Review I came across this unexpected and very pleasant Toronto surprise.

Third performance – 11 September 2009, 11am
It is perhaps not a surprise to say that the last performance of a new work is likely to be the best. This was the case at the third performance of Christopher’s new work, which I had commissioned with three friends about eighteen months ago. Lightfall sounded relaxed and confident, and almost like a familiar and established piece from the contemporary repertoire. It was also the fifth time I had heard the work – two rehearsals and three performances – so I am beginning to know it, and to look forward to certain sections and certain effects in this very original ‘concerto for horn and orchestra’. I should also say that I was sitting in a great seat in the centre of the stalls – arguably ‘the best seat in the house’ – much better than the seat I had for the premiere in the front Dress Circle (or whatever it’s called in the Concert Hall), where the sound was generally poor and the subtleties and beauties of the work were less than well served by the hall’s very problematic acoustics.
At this Friday morning ‘Tea and Symphony’ concert the new work was played first instead of last, and I found this to be to the work’s advantage in that Lightfall was heard freshly, not in the aftermath of the massive and hugely familiar Cello Concerto by Dvorak. Robert Johnson played as beautifully as he always does, and had a near perfect ‘score’ when it came to delivering the difficult and taxing – as in length – solo part. He plays almost non-stop throughout the two movements, with only a couple of short breaks where he only just has time to empty the condensation from his instrument. I found myself wondering whether Lightfall might perhaps be the longest work ever written for solo horn and orchestra? I think it would be if one counted the number of actual notes played by the horn, by which I don’t mean that there are ‘too many notes’!

Lightfall Premiere: Robert Johnson

Richard Gill and the Sydney Symphony provided the many and various accompanying effects with spine-tingling accuracy – the skittish dancing rhythms towards the end being particularly infectious! I especially love the way the work pays homage to the musical past and present – the touches of Britten in the rather depressed but haunting opening section (particularly the ‘Elegy’ from the Serenade for tenor, horn and strings [my emphasis]) – and the nod to John Adams in the joyfully exuberant concluding sections of the work.

Lightfall Premiere: CG, Robert Johnson

I hope we will hear Lightfall again in the not-too-distant future, and indeed we will because we have the delayed broadcast to look forward to. That will probably be of the excellent second performance, as this final performance was not recorded.

I certainly feel immensely proud to have had something to do with this fine new work seeing the light of day.
- Robert Gay

Pre-concert Talk 09/09/09

The second performance of Lightfall was also better with the musicians more relaxed and in control. It makes quite a difference to Part Two which despite being fast needs to be unhurried, a groove rather than a race.

Lightfall Premiere: Richard Gill, Robert Johnson, Christopher Gordon, Sydney Symphony

Once again a very good response from both the musicians and the audience. Afterwards Philip Powers from the orchestra kindly arranged for me to have recordings of both nights which I am looking forward to hearing in the comfort of my armchair. I will make up an edit between the two performances which I can then have as a demo of the piece.

Lightfall Premiere: Richard Gill, Robert Johnson, Christopher Gordon

The day had been spent preparing for an overseas trip the next day and my wife and I charged home after the concert to finish packing. We had to be at the airport by 8am.

Lightfall Premiere: Christopher Gordon, Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson, however, is all style:

Lightfall Premiere: Robert Johnson

The evening started with a pre-concert discussion in the northern foyer of the Sydney Opera House’s concert hall between Kim Waldock, education manager of the Sydney Symphony, Robert Johnson and myself. We talked a little about the Handel Concerto Gross no 3 opus 6 and the Dvorak Cello Concerto but quickly moved onto introducing Lightfall. Rob gave a few demonstrations on the horn and I gave a brief explanation of the concerto’s structure and emotional design.

Pre-concert Talk: Robert Johnson, Kim Waldock, CG

The orchestra gave a joyous performance of the Handel and Gautier Capuçon gave a beautifully rich interpretation of the Dvorak. What an act to follow!

After interval Lightfall was premiered. The musicians settled into a fine performance with only the odd hiccup to remind us that this was still new territory. The balances that had been of concern in rehearsal seemed to have sorted themselves out more or less, although from where I was sitting in the stalls the acoustic was rather two-dimensional.

Last moments of Lightfall premiere: Robert Johnson, Richard Gill, Sydney Symphony

It is hard for me to say more about the performance because I tend to listen through the ears of everyone that dislikes the piece and wishes it would finish quickly. This is not entirely paranoia on my part as half a dozen people around the hall made a quick exit after the unforgiving Part One. I wondered, if they had stayed, if they might have enjoyed the lyrical Part Two. At the same time I am trying to work out if some moments of dense clutter are the result of my writing or just of the acoustics. I mentioned this to someone later on and they said they liked the density. At this moment I still have not watched the webcast or listened to the recording but when I do I will listen for what needs fixing and adjust the score, along with the minor changes in dynamics that were made during rehearsal.

Lightfall Premiere: Michael Dauth, Robert Johnson, Richard Gill, Sydney Symphony

The positive response afterwards from musicians and audience members was rather overwhelming. I met two of the commissioners, Emily Chang and Charles Barran, for the first time and to my great relief they enjoyed the work very much. The orchestra kindly held a brief reception for all involved afterwards and I met the Sydney Symphony’s new managing director, Rory Jeffes.

Rear L-R: Richard Gill, Rory Jeffes, CG, Charles Barran. Front L-R: Robert Johnson, Emily Chang, Robert Gay

Then my wife and I headed down to Circular Quay for dinner with friends, family, Robert Johnson and Kim Waldock. It was a wonderful way to end the evening with lots of laughs and stories. But to my surprise I found I was overcome with concern that I was now unemployed and that, beyond a small work for Gondwana Voices with Synergy to be done immediately, there was not even the whiff of work in the future, not for the concert hall or for film.

A day in the life…

Final rehearsal this morning. A run through of the entire concert but out of order. First they played through the Dvorak. I am looking forward to the performance this evening as Gautier Capuçon is a very fine player. He has extraordinary projection but with great sensitivity.

Richard Gill (photo: Jeff Busby)

Before the rehearsal I met Andrew Ford who is going to talk to the audience between the pieces. I told him I enjoyed his Symphony which I had recently watched on-line.

Margie Moore, who used to work with the orchestra, came along and gave me a bunch of flowers to sparkle up my day.

After first looking at the end of Part Two once more, they played through Lightfall. It has come together very well although of course Robert was saving himself for tonight. The acoustical changes in the hall seemed to favour the Timpani so I asked Rick Miller to play Part One at a notch softer than marked.

I felt that Part Two was rather slower than it should be, a stroll rather than a run, and said so to everyone. Richard Gill later explained that he had done that on purpose so that the orchestra was locked in together and that he intended to perform it at speed tonight. So I put my foot in it there! But Richard was very good about it.

I stayed for the Handel. It’s very hard to stay still and not dance during the first movement. Great way to open the concert.

Had a quiet fifteen minutes on the Quay with a sandwich and a plump seagull. Remarkably the seagull knew the exact moment that the sandwich was finished and flew off. Hope tonight’s audience doesn’t make such a dismissive exit.

Picked up a longtime friend up at the airport who has come up especially for the concert. Then home to write this post. And Lionsgate have asked for a biography especially for the Daybreakers premiere in Toronto on Friday night so I quickly whipped that up.

While writing, I listened to The Seduction of Claude Debussy by The Art of Noise, something very different to tonight’s music.

Now there is just enough time to get ready and head off to the Opera House for the talk at 5:45pm.

Rehearsing Lightfall (08:09:09)

Richard Gill took the orchestra without soloist at a slow tempo from letter T in Part Two, then from letter R at correct tempo. Everything locked in nicely. Then they ran through the entire concerto.

I asked that the orchestral horns in Part Two between letters N and O be softer so that they echoed the soloist more, with the added advantage that the piano solo at Letter O could soar over the orchestra without competition.

Also that the last three bars of Part One maintain the relentless tempo and dynamic. There should be no indication that the piece is about to end. Rather a sudden cut, midstream, to black.

I have mentioned the tests going on to improve the acoustics of the concert hall by Kirkegaard Associates. Larry Kirkegaard asked me if the woodwinds were sounding stronger now that he had moved the ceiling reflectors closer together. I said that yesterday I couldn’t hear them at all while today they were audible but still too quiet; an improvement but not enough. How many composers get their own acoustician to tune the actual hall for their piece? Quite amazing.

Robert Gay attended the rehearsal hearing the piece for the very first time. He enjoyed it very much and is looking forward to tomorrow’s rehearsal, as well. He says it was a done deal that he would like Lightfall but I must admit to feeling relief and excitement when he applauded.

The orchestra’s new assistant conductor, Nicholas Carter, has been very helpful as an extra pair of ears during the rehearsal, particularly with regard to balance between instruments. I am afraid that when they are playing well I tend to float along with the music and forget to listen critically. You could bet your grandmother that it is always at those moments that Richard stops the orchestra and asks me an important question like “are the second violins staccato enough”.

Afterwards there was a meeting with Kim Waldock (education manager with the SSO) and Robert Johnson to discuss what we would chat about at the pre-concert talk. Robert Gay also came. We talked about composers and orchestras being a part of their community, rather than an outpost of European and 19th century traditions. The talks are in the northern foyer at 5:45 pm on Wednesday and Thursday (no talk Friday).

Just back from the first orchestral rehearsal. Richard Gill scheduled all morning for Lightfall and another run through after lunch.

The first run through is always a mess . With knee-jerk certainty I know that there is no hope for me as a composer and consider my exit options. But I have learnt to be patient and wait for the second run and miraculously it begins to sound quite good and I can begin to show my face.

Richard has nailed the tempos and all the preparation that Robert has done over the last few weeks is paying off. The orchestra has been very responsive to the concerto and had found its shape by the afternoon run through.

A quick meeting with Richard at lunchtime cleared up a couple of minor points. I added a G to the Em9 brass chord at b88-9 in part two; who knows what I was thinking when I wrote that bit.

The acoustic testing in the concert hall has already improved the overall sound although the woodwind are being mysteriously swallowed up. The acoustician has a plan so we will see how it sounds tomorrow morning.

I asked the harpist, Louise Johnson, (Louise is also the solo harpist on my score for Mao’s Last Dancer) if her passages were ok and she pointed out that b309-324 in part two tended to get chocked by the repetition of the string plucks (notes were being dampened as quickly as they were plucked). Pretty obvious really and a silly mistake on my part, so I will create a new part for her by putting every first group of four notes down an octave in the left hand and every second group as written in the right hand, and so on. Better do it now so I can email it to her.

The concert on 09/09/09 will be webcast by Bigpond at 6:30pm Sydney time. It will then remain online as a view-on-demand stream. There is no cost and no need to subscribe.

Update 24 September:

You can view it here. (Click on 9 Sep Dvorak Cello Concerto. The Lightfall performance is Meet the Concerto 3). It seems to work intermittently so come back later if it doesn’t load.