Wynona Wang brings power and passion to Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto at Government House Ballroom

Resplendent in red, Wynona Wang sat impassively through cascading horns heralding Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto then struck the first plangent keyboard chords with power and passion at Government House Ballroom on Sunday.

Her visceral attack enthralled the hall then paused to unleash the full force of OpusWA Arts Orchestra under Mark Coughlan’s baton, riding the sound waves with poise and panache.

Nuanced interludes led to agile whimsy in duet with woodwind as Wang rolled through demanding runs and frantic melodic breaks to rest in rhapsodic reflection.

Woodwind then strings chimed in to stir more passion as the soloist held a big band in dynamic balance, drawing full value from the Fazioli grand piano to exploit the best of the acoustics.

High drama in strings drew a hint of a thrill on Wang’s face, then exquisite exposition and development of the grandiose themes that flowed from her fingertips.

A penchant for punchy execution of energetic passages fell away to rumbling rumination amid preternatural calm; a tantalising vision of joy in musical form, pealing through the crash-bang conclusion of the first movement with obvious and infectious pleasure.

Simple fare from pizzicato violins and flute reset the palette for the second stanza, summoning bell-like clarity from piano; a deft yet demanding touch that held and rewarded attention.

Changing up pace, Wang threw flurries and cascades into the mix with cool focus, slowing to an ethereal trill then rolling into melodic meditation over silky symphonic support to close in a whisper.

A moment’s silence, then the bravura of the opening returned for the finale in urgent syncopation and scintillating solos.

Rarely does a staple of the repertoire sound so raw and fresh in its sincerity and exhilaration; compelling, too, in the sheer exuberance of the ending.

Raucous applause demanded an encore: Mikhail Pletnev’s virtuoso setting of the Pas de Deux from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, settling nerves still a-quiver from so much excitement.

Coughlan and OpusWA opened the bill for Music of the Terrace with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.6 (Pathetique).

A bass drone and bassoon lament, echoed by viola, horn, then woodwind captured the sorrows of the world, answered by a furtive second figure scurrying through the ensemble.

A sudden injection of brass blew the dust from rustling strings, rattling the rafters before a return to lugubrious viola. Then the glorious central theme emerged, uncertain at first but growing in confidence as the orchestra found its voice.

Clarinet (Andrew Elliott) gave a good account, lulling all into a false sense of closure before the ensemble exploded again, drawing on brass for full effect.

Percussion proved decisive through torment and turmoil towards a fateful tolling before a reprise of the major theme in strings, clarinet then brass chorale; fading to silence.

Lilting lyrically into the five-beat waltz of the second stanza, Coughlan flagged a more expansive mood, laying down the baton to massage sound with both hands.

Euphony across the back row complemented pizzicato then full-bowed strings as the romantic dance unfolded amid the opulent ambience or the ballroom.

Fast-forward into the scherzo third movement, Coughlan reapplied the baton as febrile strings ran ahead of horn and brass fanfares. Woodwind joined the fray to stiffen the sinews of a vigorous march.

Violins drove drama and woodwind lent whimsy, igniting frenzy across the stage, with all parts blazing towards a towering conclusion.

But there was more. . . a swarming broached the Finale: Adagio lamentoso, bittersweet in tone and temper. Equal parts rhapsodic and solemn, strings gave their best here as brass again bolstered and embellished the timbre with staunch support from percussion.

Trombones and tuba read the last rites to launch one last melancholy chant from strings, devolving to a heartbeat at the death.

Music on the Terrace returns to Government House on December 6 for Music on the Lawn with Adrian Galante.