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- 19/01/11
- A Special Evening of Music
- The ‘very special evening of music’ promised in the programme for Orchestra West’s concert... (more)
Mega Watts!
Last Sunday in Kings College Chapel proved that we in Taunton do not have to travel far afield or import outside ensembles to hear the finest music performed to the highest standards. The concert by OrchestraWest with John Cole at the helm was on a huge scale and was absolutely first class. It is probably true that this was the most prestigious concert put on in Taunton for decades.
Elgar's youthful and jaunty "Cockaigne" overture set the tone - a solid orchestral sound but with a clarity which even in the loudest passages never became muddy or congested. The conductor kept a tight rein on his forces but the excitement of the piece was unconstrained.
The 'Four Last Songs' of Richard Strauss are music of the highest order, and in Elizabeth Watts, winner of the Lieder Prize in the recent Cardiff Singer of the World competition, they had a worthy interpreter. (You may remember an earlier visit to Taunton when she sang in the 2006 Remembrance Sunday performance of the Brahms 'German Requiem' with OrchestraWest and Amici).
Her performance in the Strauss songs was pure gold from start to finish, her voice soaring effortlessly, and she brought out every nuance of these wonderful pieces. The orchestral accompaniment was masterly, although in the second song it came close to being a little overpowering. Elizabeth has a world career ahead of her, and her appearance here was a coup for OrchestraWest and for Taunton. Special mention must be made of Tessa White's horn playing and Barry Haskey's beautiful violin solo.
Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Scheherazade' is THE orchestral showpiece and John and his players revelled in it. This work not only requires excellent ensemble playing, but severely tests the abilities of solo instrumentalists. Oboe, flute, harp, horn, 'cello, clarinet, bassoon were all superb, and leader Barry Haskey's depiction of Scheherazade herself was beautiful.
The first movement showed that we were in for a great performance. In the second movement there were a few initial articulation problems from the horns, but these are minor carpings from a pedantic reviewer. The string sound in the third movement was rich and glorious, probably the best string sound I have heard from this orchestra - beautiful.
The final movement is crawling with rhythmic pitfalls, but the conductor's clear beat was an anchor in the potential storms. The closing tutti pages produced a solid wall of brilliant orchestral sound, leading to the magical hush of the final few bars.
It would have been preferable to have had a full house for such a musical feast, and to hear such a fine orchestra to its best advantage really needs a first class concert hall, which sadly we do not have. However, the audience's rapturous applause showed what can be and was achieved, and Taunton should be proud and supportive, not just of OrchestraWest but of all the talent on offer in this town.
Harold W. Mead
05/02/2008
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