The MIMA concert with the Lake Macquarie Philharmonic Orchestra
SUNDAY MAY 1ST, 2022 2.00PM SPEERS POINT PARK MAP (Multi Arts Pavilion) MIMA
The weather gods smiled on Lake Macquarie Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert at the new MAP mima last Sunday. The new venue staged its first orchestral concert and amplification was used to ensure the orchestra was clearly heard. Audience with paid tickets sat on chairs directly in front of the stage while the music could be heard across the park by any who wished to enjoy it. MAP mima is located on the creek side of the park and concert goers are advised to check the best route to parking and level access.
A commissioned work, ‘The Mima Concert Overture’ by Stephen Lalor, was an impressive beginning to the music. A descriptive piece, the overture depicted storms on the lake, industry, enjoyment of the water as it built to use the full voices of the orchestra.
Congratulations to Lake Macquarie Council Head of Arts Jacquie Hemsley for commissioning Stephen Lalor to compose this worthy soundscape celebrating the cultural life of the area.
Next up was the Adagio from Spartacus by Khatchaturian, featuring concert master Catherine Sheng-Cooper playing beautiful solo violin. Other orchestra pieces were the bucolic Summer Days by Eric Coates, the light-hearted and joyful Molly on the Shore by Percy Grainger and the familiar sweeping melodies of the Swan Lake Suite Opus 20 by Tchaikowsky. Singers Ashlee Woodgate (soprano) and Sam Elmi (tenor), stars of the upcoming Opera Hunter production of Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’, introduce the audience to arias from the opera. Sam Elmi sang expressively in both the softer phrases and climactic high notes in ‘De miei bollenti spirits’ and ‘O mio rimorso’. Ashlee Woodgate took on and conquered the heights of the beautiful scena ‘Sempre libera’. ‘La Traviata’ will be the first opera to be presented in a semi-staged style at MAP mima and will be a new innovation for opera lovers and music lovers of all kinds.
I love to hear orchestral music and opera in a concert hall or theatre but I appreciated the opportunity to see this program presented to an outdoor audience last Sunday. European festivals feature such concerts, where they are
Dr. Jennifer Barnes