Optimistic notes
Anthony Ritchie’s 5th Symphony Childhood
At the opening of the Christchurch Town Hall in 1973, a 12-year-old Anthony Ritchie watched his father, composer John Ritchie, conduct Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Forty-five years later, the younger Ritchie's own 5th Symphony was completed to celebrate the re-opening of the Hall after its post-earthquake rebuild. Called Childhood, it was recorded there in June 2020 by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kenneth Young and has just been released by Rattle.
Sadly the planned August 2020 live performance of the Symphony by the CSO was cancelled when COVID alert levels shifted and the world premiere of Childhood moved to a Dunedin Symphony Orchestra concert in September. The CSO have re-scheduled Ritchie’s 5th Symphony into their 2022 season.
Recent symphonies by New Zealand composers have explored dark historical themes of war or cultural conflict. Since Beethoven’s Eroica the form has lent itself to deep emotional expression and powerful symphonic musical argument. Ritchie’s own 4th Symphony in 2013, dedicated to those who suffered in the Christchurch earthquakes, expressed the city’s anguish.
Composer Anthony Ritchie
“…reflective, lyrical themes woven into skilfully unobtrusive counterpoint.’”
Childhood is, on the surface at least, a less profound work, looking optimistically towards a post-COVID future. “Beginnings”, the first of five movements, opens with the music-box tones of the glockenspiel, the fresh, innocent sound of early childhood itself. In the second movement, “Play”, Ritchie relishes the colours of the whole big orchestral music-box. This scherzo is growing-up music of sprightly “rumbustious” rhythms with arresting brass and percussion.
Shadows slip in under the jolly romp in the more contemplative slow movement, “Hopes and Dreams”. Here Ritchie weaves reflective, lyrical themes into skilfully unobtrusive counterpoint. The energetic pace returns in the largely tonal music of the lightweight “Life-force”, dancing cheerfully forwards. Without a break the symphony launches into its final movement, “A Future”, joyous and carefree as childhood should be and ending blithely with a clatter of kitchen pots and pans.
This Rattle release, packaged with charming watercolours by children’s illustrator Robyn Belton, marks the label’s 30th anniversary this year, alongside the vibrant Curveball album from Gitbox Rebellion, whose Pesky Digits was Rattle’s first ever release. Symbols of optimism, indeed!
Anthony Ritchie Symphony No. 5 ‘Childhood’ Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Kenneth Young (conductor) (Rattle) Purchase here
This CD review was first published in the NZ Listener on April 10, 2021