Welsh Sinfonia at the Dora Stoutzker Hall, RWCMD
3rd November 2011, 7pm
The Welsh Sinfonia performed a beautiful selection of works for this short ‘Classical Hour’ concert in the new Dora Stoutzker Hall.
Led by Mark Eager, the chamber orchestra performed three classic yet rarely heard pieces, which included William Boyce’s Symphony No. 8 in D minor, Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony Op. 4, and Piotr Tchaikovsky’s impassioned Serenade in C for Strings Op. 48.
Boyce’s Symphony is a stunning yet little known representation of the music of the eighteenth century. The orchestra chose to perform the work honouring many of the Baroque’s original stylistic features, which was most apparent through the smoother tone gained by using period bowing techniques. It was also refreshing to be able to hear the harpsichord, played superbly by Carl Grainger: one of the benefits of performing in a purpose built concert hall for chamber music.
The stately Pomposo (Allegro) moves elegantly through low, sumptuous tones to bright airy passages, contrasting wonderfully with the slower and more refined second movement, Largo (Andante). Finally, the Tempo di Gavotta (Risoluto) ends the work in a steady and graceful dance, leaving the audience wondering why the works of William Boyce are so underperformed.
Britten’s Simple Symphony is certainly not child’s play and it is a credit to Robin Stowell for leading this technically difficult work so well. The four movements threw the audience into the twentieth century and demonstrated the orchestra’s fantastic programming. From ‘Boisterous Bourrée’ to ‘Playful Pizzicato’, and ‘Sentimental Sarabande’ to ‘Frolicsome Finale’, this work almost demands the listener to reminisce their youth, and is quite a spectacle in places.
Finally, the Welsh Sinfonia performed Tchaikovsky’s well-loved Serenade for Strings, and was perhaps the most passionately performed work of the evening. The orchestra made clear the composer’s love for this piece and no expense was spared in creating a stunningly professional performance of it. The ensemble began and ended phrases smoothly and subtly, and the final pause of the third movement was, despite its technical difficulty, out of this world.
Yet again, the Welsh Sinfonia delivered an exciting programme and performed it with the professionalism and technical ability of any of Britain’s foremost chamber orchestras. Their next concert in January 2012 promises to be just as compelling.
Star Rating: 5*
by Jessica Ruth Morris
