Civic Theatre, Townsville
August 1, 2015

He may be the AFCM headliner, but last night Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski chose to debut in true self-effacing chamber music fashion as one among equals. And what a night, as a host of musicians came together to present Haydn, Mozart, Sculthorpe and Tippett, in what the announcer’s voiceover unintentionally referred to as the “Governor’s Gallah”. Anderszewski was joined by cellist Li-Wei Qin, saxophonist Amy Dickson, a distinguished string trio and the Camerata of St. John’s for an unusual programme of essentially four concertos in what has to be one of the most enthralling concerts in Australia this year.

Qin started proceedings with Haydn’s First Concerto, the Classical elegance of its polite opening suiting the period sensibilities of the Camerata. I’ve marvelled at his terrific recent Elgar and Walton release on ABC Classics, but his was my first time hearing the Chinese/Australian cellist live, and what a pleasure to discover he’s even better in the flesh. Blessed with something of the aristocratic manner of Tortellier, Qin has a full, rich, burnished tone that verges on the meaty but is never overblown. His phasing of the gallant first movement was perfectly judged to convey the songfulness...