Reviews

Sunday 7 March 2010

 

Orchestra's Family Show was a Cracker

 

Conductor Adam Gatehouse’s initial introductions set a friendly atmosphere between the orchestra and the audience, which contained so many children.  Then the opening fanfare.  Overture to William Tell by Rossini set a cracking pace. 

The tone mellowed with the next piece, Meditation from ‘Thais’ by Messenet.  The soloist was Paul Armitage on violin, a most remarkable talent at only 12-years-old.  He looked confident and happy to be in the spotlight.  The chords flowed like angel’s wings.  With his second piece, Czardas by Monti, the tempo accelerated to a velocity over which Paul had complete control.  For one so young, Paul showed great agility and deftness in his interpretation of this gypsy style Hungarian dance.

The orchestra played with aplomb for the next piece, that perennial favourite, Peter and the Wolf.  This musical picture story was expressively narrated by Alexander Gatehouse.  The Junior Choir from Sir Robert Hitcham School, Debenham was charming with its performance of the sublime For The Beauty Of The Earth by John Rutter.  The grand finale took the audience to a large cattle ranch in Argentina with Suite from the ballet, Estancia, by Alberto Ginastera.

 

This was a superb and enthusiastic performance by a fine orchestra led by Richard Armitage.

Evening Star

 

Saturday 28 November 2009

 

Winter Concert Delivers Performances to Remember

 

 

Ipswich Orchestral Society gave their Winter concert on Saturday evening at the Corn Exchange, and presented a programme of music from the Romantic Period (nineteenth century).

 

There was special interest in the soloist for this concert – Jennifer Pike – who made history seven years ago as the youngest-ever winner of the BBC Young Musician competition.  She brought out the character of the Violin Concerto by Sibelius most effectively, with an assured technique and a wide range of expression, and the brilliance of the virtuoso passages in the third movement was second to none.  This is one of the most demanding of all the violin concertos, and she made it a performance to remember.

 

Earlier in the first part of the concert the orchestra played the overture Les Francs-Juges (The Judges of the Secret Court) by Berlioz.  This was the composer’s first major orchestral work and was written two years before his Symphonie Fantastique – a dramatic symphony that used some of the music from the opera Les Francs-Juges which was never completed.

 

After the interval we were treated to a performance of Dvorak’s Symphony No 8 which, although not as well known as his New World Symphony (No 9) is just as fine a work and shows all the hallmarks of the composer’s symphonic style.

 

David Ruddock

Evening Star

 

 

Saturday 27 June 2009

 

I  Got Swept Up In Stirring Concert With Sea Theme

 

 

Ipswich Orchestral Society performed a programme of music using the sea as its theme.  However, the opening work was all about a river, which made sense as all rivers eventually reach a sea.  Smetana’s Vltava is probably the best-known piece of music describing a river – from its source as a stream in the mountains, then its evolution as a river, through all its phases as it widens and finally joins the River Danube.  The orchestra brought this river-tale to life with some really expressive playing, although there was a lack of precision in the strings near the end.

 

The soloist in Shostakovich’s second piano concerto was Sophie Cashell, who came to national attention two years ago when she won the BBC Classical Star television award.  Her sound technique and wide-ranging expression were evident throughout this concerto – she is certainly a future star solo pianist.

 

The sea theme dominated the second part of the concert with Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes, the story of which is set on the Suffolk coast at Aldeburgh, where the composer lived.

 

The final work was Debussy’s La Mer, which is a portrayal of the sea in a variety of moods.  The orchestra deserves some congratulations for some inspired playing here, splendidly guided by their regular conductor, Adam Gatehouse.

 

David Ruddock

Evening Star

 

Saturday 29 November 2008

 

Fine Music Akin to a Good Meal

 

The stately music of the prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, by Wagner, paved the way to an entertaining and satisfying evening of music.

 

Carl Maria von Weber's First Clarinet Concerto cannot fail to please, with its charming flowing melodies interspersed with breathtaking sections of virtuosity.  World famous soloist Michael Collins made light work of the technicalities.  With his apparent enjoyment of communicating with a long-loved friend, Collins sauntered through the movements, bringing the concerto to its conclusion with splendid panache.  Ipswich Orchestral Society provided a sympathetic partnership.

 

By this stage of the concert IOS were really playing at their best.  The controlled, evocative opening of Tod und Verkarung (Death and Transfiguration), Opus 24 by Richard Strauss gave way to the orchestra having full-rein with everyone playing magnificently.  The solo phrases, without exception, were admirable.

 

The light-hearted overture to Rossini's La Cenerentola (Cinderella) rounded off the evening in a heart-warming performance that included more lovely solo passages from the woodwind.

 

Conductor, Adam Gatehouse, is the man responsible for the orchestra's high standard.  His enthusiasm encourages the players to tackle ever-more demanding works.  Adam also likes to convey his joy of music to the audience.  I tried very hard to ignore his analogy of comparing the programme to a fine banquet - not because I didn't enjoy the music - but simply because I didn't agree with his choice of menu that included German Sausage and Jugged Hare.

 

 

 

 

Saturday 29 November 2008

 

Germanic Overtones to Concert

 

Ipswich Orchestral Society's Autumn concert took place on Saturday evening at the Corn Exchange, and their programme consisted of a collection of works from the 19th century.

There was a strong Germanic feel to the music, with three composers from Germany and one from Italy.

The concert began with Wagner's Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg providing the orchestra with a rousing opening.  This was followed by Weber's Clarinet Concerto No 1, which dates from the early part of the century.

The soloist was Michael Collins, who has been one of our most outstanding clarinettists for many years - his masterful technique and breadth of expression were the hallmarks of his playing throughout this concerto.

Adam Gatehouse, the conductor, was keen to link the concert programme to a restaurant menu, which ended up being a bit of a farce when he tried to make a Rossini overture fit his favourite dessert - a champagne sundae.  (Perhaps Strauss' Champagne Polka would have been more suitable!).

The second part of the concert began with Richard Strauss' tone poem, Death and Transfiguration, which describes the dying moments of a man who had ‘striven towards the highest artistic aims'.

The orchestra, now considerably enlarged, gave a totally convincing performance of this work with its huge range of dynamics and textures.  The decision to put the Overture La Cenerentola by Rossini at the end of the concert seemed strange, but it did make for a more cheerful, light-hearted finale instead of the dark, sombre tones of the Richard Strauss tone poem.

 

 

 

 

Saturday 28 June 2008

 

 

Lloyd-Webber Ensures Full House

 

Concert going is something of a lottery: you don't know if it is going to be any good  until it is too late to avoid it. Fortunately, on this occasion, I very soon knew that I was on to a winner.

 

From the restrained opening of the Overture from Prince Igor, by Borodin, it was clear that the entire orchestra was on fine form. There were some lovely solo passages from the woodwind and brass. French horn player David Smith, in particular, deserves a mention for his beautiful mellow tones throughout the evening and the strings were, in turn, scintillating and lyrical.

 

I would guess that Julian Lloyd Webber was responsible for this concert being a sell-out. He was as one would expect of this well-known cellist and clearly pleased his following. Tchaikovsky's attractive Variations on a Rococo Theme is a perfect showpiece for Lloyd Webber's talents and he dramatically emphasized the extravagant cadenzas. This performance played with empathetic accompaniment from the IOS was taken from Tchaikovsky's original composition which has recently been revived.

 

As a salute to Suffolk, Lloyd Webber played the unaccompanied pizzicato Serenata from the Cello Suite No 1 by Benjamin Britten.

 

For me, the main attraction on the programme was Symphony No.10 in E minor, Opus 93 by Shostakovich. This is a challenging work and not something to be undertaken lightly.

 

Conductor Adam Gatehouse wisely introduced the symphony with a valuable explanation of the work written in 1953, just after Stalin's death, as Shostakovich looked back over the dreadful years he and his fellow countrymen had endured. Adam stated that the four movements could be depicted as Fear, the Dictator's brutality, Irony and then Humour (maybe macabre, resulting from extreme terror) but culminating in the triumph of survival.

 

The fear was almost palpable in first movement with a long drawn out building of tension, repetitive phrases and instruments playing at the extremes of their range. The brutality of the second movement, a personification of Stalin, was manifest by every instrument sounding like relentless, inexorable clanging machinery and underscored by violent fortissimo percussion. Its terrifying impact was mercifully short lived, but all the more potent for that.

 

IOS are fortunate in having the excellent Adam Gatehouse, but it is a two-way partnership and between them they gave an awe-inspiring performance.

 

Saturday 28 June 2008

 

Masterful Performance of Awesome Power on Show

 

Ipswich Orchestral Society gave their summer concert in the Corn Exchange on Saturday evening with a programme of nineteenth and twentieth century Russian music.

 

The concert began with Borodin’s Overture to his opera, Prince Igor, which he left unfinished at his death, but was later completed by Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov.  The music is drawn from various parts of the opera but is less well known that the Polovtsian Dances which are a set of lively Russian dances, often played in the concert hall.

 

Next came Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme with Julian Lloyd-Webber as the ‘cello soloist.  This piece, written in the style of Mozart, is full of interplay between the soloist and the orchestra and there was much to savour in Lloyd-Webber’s charming and delicately poised playing here.  

 

The second half of the concert consisted of one work – Shostakovich’s Symphony No 10 which he composed in 1953, the year of the death of Stalin, whose shadow falls inexorably over the whole of this intensely dramatic work.  The long, often painfully sombre first movement contrasts vividly with the powerful driving rhythms of the short second movement. 

 

A masterful performance of awesome power, appreciated by a capacity audience.

 

Saturday 24 November 2007

 

Ipswich Orchestral Society's autumn concert programme consisted of three works by composers from the Romantic period of music, ie the bulk of the 19th and early 20th century. 

 

Elgar has been a prominent composer in concerts this year because it is the 150th anniversary of his birth, and the orchestra began with his concert-overture, In The South (Alassio).

 

It brilliantly captured the spirit of this work, which is a musical souvenir of a holiday he spent in Italy during the Winter of 1903-4.  The Neapolitan love song tenderly played by the solo viola in the middle section contrasted well with the rich expansive harmonies of the main theme.

 

Bruch's First Violin Concerto came next.  This is a lightweight affair compared with the rest of the programme and the soloist, Matthew Trusler - a highly regarded young British virtuoso - produced a warm, expressive tone, which perfectly suited the reflective lyrical mood of this work.

 

After the interval we were treated to a splendid performance of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony, subtitled the Romantic.  This is certainly the best known of the composer's early symphonies, and the orchestra came into its own in the unique cathedral-like sounds the composer created here.

 

The horn section plays a major part in the themes of the symphony and it should be congratulated for its tone-quality and expression, especially in the fanfares of the scherzo movement.

 

The conductor, Adam Gatehouse, guided the whole orchestra in a well-crafted performance of this mighty symphony.

 

 

 

Saturday 26 November 2006

 

Ipswich Orchestral Society gave their autumn concert at the Corn Exchange on Saturday evening with an all-Russian programme of music.  Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich were the featured composers and the music was some of the best-known by these three. 

 

It was most appropriate to have Shostakovich in the concert as this is his centenary year.  The orchestra played three movements from his Gadfly Suite, including the popular Romance, and ending with the exciting Folkfest. 

 

Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concert is very well-known and the soloist was one of BBC Radio Three’s New Generation artists - Llŷr Williams.  His command of the notes was clear and precise, but there was a lack of passion in his playing.  This concerto needs a rich tapestry of sound to bring out all the composer’s expressive intentions.

 

The orchestra performed with style and finesse throughout, but it was after the interval that they came into their own, with an intensely moving performance of Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony – The Pathetique.  This was composed during the final months of his life in 1893 and he died just nine days after its first performance.  It is full of the composer’s dark mood of despair he felt at the time, especially in the tortuous final movement. 

 

The orchestra, under their regular conductor Adam Gatehouse, brought out all the emotions and inner conflicts of this symphony in their playing and left us, in the audience, feeling drained at the end. 

 

 

Noriko Ogawa – Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
‘Ogawa, a Leeds International Piano Competition prize winner, played with finesse and style …’
Evening Star, 26 November 2001

Ashely Wass – Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3
‘Wass played excellently, with all the confident precocity of a prodigy … The beautiful, echoing score accompanied Rachmaninov’s syncopated chords, contrasting with moments of madness and underlying drama of the piano’s vigorous and tempestuous dominance.’
East Anglian Daily Times, June 2001

Raphael Wallfisch – Dvorak Cello Concerto
‘Wallfisch played with authority in a performance that came straight from the heart …the orchestra proved to be in equal partnership with the soloist in the excellent finale.’
East Anglian Daily Time, June 2000

Anthony Goldstone – Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
‘Goldstone is recognised as one of our finest pianists … the orchestra and soloist forged a successful partnership with a great deal of impressive playing from the pianist.’
East Anglian Daily Times, 11 June 1999

Emma Johnson – Weber Clarinet Concerto No 2
‘Right from the opening high E-flat of the first movement to the last note of the brilliant finale she held her audience spellbound with playing of the highest quality.’
Evening Star, 27 November 1995 

Peter Frankl – Schumann Piano Concerto
‘The IOS has been able to attract some high-ranking international musicians to appear as soloists and their latest performance was no exception … Peter Frankl’s rapport with the orchestra and conductor was immediately apparent and gave the players an extra edge of confidence that added sparkle to this piece.’
Evening Star, 15 June 1995

Tasmin Little – Brahms Violin Concerto
‘Her fame as an interpreter of the Brahms had preceded her appearance and she did not let the near capacity audience down … a performance of technical skill and musical mastery, and the audience was totally won over.’
Evening Star, 3 December 1994

Raymond Simmons – Hummel Trumpet Concerto
‘… he gave a dazzling performance with some remarkable virtuoso playing in the final movement.’
East Anglian Daily Times, 8 December 1993

Kathryn Stott – Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1
‘Kathryn Stott caressed the lovely melodies of the largo … and she played the first movement brilliantly.’
Evening Star, 11 June 1991

 

Robert Cohen – Dvorak Cello Concerto
‘… obviously in total sympathy with the music … nothing could have been lovelier than the Cantabile …’
Evening Star, 12 June 1990