Players meet the Mozart challenge with style Conductor Douglas Boyd conjures a lean, clean sound. Picture: John Batten Photography Source: Supplied MUSIC Mozart's Last Symphonies West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Douglas Boyd. Perth Concert Hall, May 3. MOZART'S impeccably crafted music is often said to be among the most challenging tasks an orchestra can undertake. His transparent textures and melodic inventiveness simply leave nowhere to hide a fluffed entry or lapse of intonation. Thus a concert consisting entirely of his last three symphonies is an ambitious act of programming. These are familiar and treasured peaks of the repertoire, so one wondered whether the West Australian Symphony Orchestra could have anything new to say. Would a one-composer concert consisting of three symphonies written in the space of a single Viennese summer be too much of a good thing? And could WASO meet the challenges in a world where this repertoire is increasingly reserved for specialist ensembles? WASO dispelled all doubts with one of the most stylish and convincing performances I have heard from them. The string playing was unified, dynamic and decisive, and the pared-back wind section was a revelation, playing with remarkable accuracy and cohesion. The musicians seemed to relish the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in the service of such rewarding music, and much credit must go to conductor Douglas Boyd. Boyd is clearly influenced by the authentic performance practice movement: his tempos tended to be quick, and he conjured a lean, clean sound from the orchestra. But his overall approach was far from academic. Indeed, he seemed primarily concerned with the expressive potential of the phrase and its place in the overall shape. In the first movement of the G minor symphony, for instance, I admired the contrast between the restless anxiety of the opening bars and the aching phrases of the second theme, and the way this gestural contrast generated the shape of the entire work. The slow second movement was a particular highlight. Boyd took this more quickly than normal, and as a result, the long harmonic notes in the winds, which normally provide just background, coalesced unexpectedly into slow melody. So assured was the playing that during the Jupiter symphony your reviewer put down his pencil and was simply swept along with its glorious counterpoint and irrepressible high spirits. It was a superb performance, and one that will live long in the memory. Douglas Boyd conducts Mozart's last symphonies with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Thursday and Friday.