Piazzolla & Vivaldi

Friday and Saturday this week sees the Welsh Sinfonia collaborate with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales in Piazzolla's Four Seasons linked with the Vivaldi classic. The Piazzolla if you don't know it is well worth a listen - jazzy, rhythmic but soulful at times too. With the NYOW's youthful exuberance, it should prove an amazing performance. Please come and see us if you can at BBC Hoddinott Hall 1-2pm Saturday.

Night Flight

Tomorrow afternoon in the Dora Stoutzker Hall, in preparation for the Welsh Sinfonia’s Season Finale, I will workshop 'Night Flight' by John Hardy, Spyros Syrmos, Chris Bond and Ben Vaughan with the Welsh Sinfonia. This promises to be a great preview for the concert which takes place March 22nd, in the presence of The Earl of St Andrews, our Patron. 
Session for RWCMD students only 2-5pm, DS Hall, RWCMD. 
Free Public Session 7-9pm, Location: St Teilos, Woodville Rd. Cardiff
Hope to see some of you there.

Welsh Sinfonia Review

Review: 29th January 2012

The Welsh Sinfonia delivered another colourful string programme under the direction of Mark Eager at the Dora Stoutzker Hall, featuring the little known Serenade in E flat, Op 6 composed by Josef Suk, alongside other influential composers; William Mathias and Antonín Dvořák.

Josef Suk is arguably better known through his compositional studies with Dvořák and the later marriage of Dvořák’s eldest daughter. Suk’s Serenade in E flat was composed at the tender age of 18 and, like the rest of works in this programme, is full of rhythmic vitality mirrored with pure serenity. The strings captured the richness and sublimity of the third movement, which was followed by the distinctively challenging virtuosic finale, which fully demonstrated the technical capabilities of the Welsh Sinfonia. Particular highlights within the work include the numerous violin solos, performed by the leader, Robin Stowell, and also the cello solo in the third movement, performed by Nick Gethin, whose passionate sound could be heard by all.

William Mathias’ Divertimento, Op 7 was an excellent choice of repertoire, placed in the thick of Czech compositions, and was most exciting. The rhythmical aspects of the work as a whole were well controlled, culminating with a further rhythmic onslaught in the final movement.

The concert concluded with Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings, Opus 22. Perhaps the most popular of the programme, it once again demonstrated the diverse capabilities of this orchestra, who handled all technical aspects of the work with great musicality. The lyrical beauty of the fourth movement was achieved through the tender treatment of the melodic line, which is strikingly different to the finale, which was full of exuberance, excitement, and was a real joy to watch.

The Welsh Sinfonia return to the Dora Stoutzker Hall for the final time this season on 22^nd March with an orchestral programme of Haydn, Schubert, and features a new commission by John Hardy.

Stephanie Richards

Welsh Sinfonia Review 3/11/11

Amazing review from last night see below - well done to one and all:

Welsh Sinfonia at the Dora Stoutzker Hall, RWCMD

3^rd 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

November 2011

Hello,

I’m back in the UK after once again spending a few months abroad, this time working in Australia and The Middle East. I also managed a wonderful trip to Africa, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro:

Things are in full swing with The Welsh Sinfonia after launching our third Cardiff series on 8th October with a concert of “late great“ Mozart in the fabulous new chamber hall at the Royal  Welsh College of Music & Drama. We were delighted to have Colin Lawson “the doyen of period clarinettists ” as our guest soloist playing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto on the basset-clarinet. A rare treat for all! The concert also featured Adagio and Fugue K.546 and the G minor Symphony No 40. I was delighted with the audience’s response and the orchestra gave a really stylish performance, receiving yet more tremendous reviews.

This has been a very exciting time for the Welsh Sinfonia. As well as recently announcing our Patron (The Earl of St Andrews), Welsh conductor Grant Llewellyn has agreed to become our President and to have a truly magnificent hall to play in is a joy.

The next series concert is on Thursday 3rd November, again at the RWCMD hall featuring William Boyce’s 8th Symphony, Britten’s Simple Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings.

At the beginning of December The WS will be taking part in THE BIG GIVE – a national fund-raising event where money donated gets doubled plus gift aid from the Government. 

Please visit www.welshsinfonia.co.uk for all the latest news updates and details of upcoming concerts.

Cardiff University Symphony Orchestra is back in action too and put on a fantastic performance in Llandaff Cathedral on Saturday 29^th October. Paul Dukas’s rousing fanfare from La Peri set the tone of the evening and the concert closed with Saint-Saens Organ Symphony – soloist Robert Court, in celebration of the Cathedral’s newly refurbished organ. 

Check out some clips on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJdvJ6bMed4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZGqYKgRvzM

It’s now onto Michael Torke’s Bright Blue Music, Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Golden Cockerel Suite for a concert at the BBC Hoddinott Hall on December 17th.

More news coming very soon.

All the best,

Mark