What a wonderful vehicle for the sisters Mozart's Piano Concerto No 10 in E flat for Two Pianos turned out to be.
Composed with his sister in mind, Mozart filled the work with intelligent interweaving parts and almost competitively paced virtuosic turns and splendid cadenzas.
The Naughton sisters revelled in the conversation.
Opening majestically, the NZSO was at all times on top of its game and produced a work of sensitive delicacy and humour.
The Naughton sisters treated the ecstatic audience to an encore of Lutoslawski's Variations on a Theme of Paganini arranged for two pianos. This is a demanding physical and technical work replete with exuberant energy performed with stunning effect.
The second half of the concert was devoted to Mahler's Symphony No 5.
This is also a work which demands physical stamina and performance expertise which the orchestra delivered in exemplary style.
Relying heavily on blending and contrasting textures and moods from brass and strings, the work covers a huge gamut of human emotion. It expands from a single trumpet into full use of the exceptionally large orchestral force resulting in an all-enveloping sense of tragedy.
The scherzo is a bedevilled frenzy. At its core, the fourth movement, adagietto, lies a sylvan serenity, brittle and precious.
The final movement, the rondo-finale, explodes with vital complexity and makes reference to Mahler's earlier works.
His 5th symphony is truly an amazing work on all fronts, musically and technically.
It reveals an NZSO in peak condition.
Special mention goes to the winds, brass and timpani, and particularly to the lead French horn player, Samuel Jacobs.
