Another excellent ALBA Concert. There is always something for everyone to enjoy, concertos, symphonies, light classics, and rarities. Derek is keen to let the audience suggest works for future concerts, since it is for the audience, that ALBA exists. He is also keen to give interested musicians the chance to conduct the orchestra, so tonight as guest conductor, Jonathan Rawlinson, conducted two works. He is a talented and versatile musician,with several years’ experience in playing and conducting.
Jonathan opened proceedings with the Overture to Don Giovanni.It was a dramatic rendering, full of strong accents, well-constructed climaxes and a lively allegro. To follow on, we had an aria from this opera, sung by the very talented soprano Elizabeth Venner and conducted by Derek himself. Elizabeth has a silky, smooth and clear voice and effortlessly negotiated the virtuoso passages of ‘Batti, Batti!’ Later, she sung the ever-popularAdele’s Laughing song, from Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II. Then Jonathan conducted the Pavane (Op.50) by Faure, another popular classic and played well, much to the enjoyment of everyone.
Next, from the 2nd Violins, Emma Shaughnessy played the first movement of the rarely heard Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in D minor. It was written when he was just 13 years old, but this was not a work by a novice, it had confidence and bravura, as didEmma’s playing. We look forward to hearing the rest of this neglected work in the future.
The first half finished with Weber’s Concertino for Clarinet & Orchestra. This was played brilliantly by Adele Gordon and accompanied well by all. A virtuoso piece that gives the Clarinet, or in this case the Bass-clarinet, a chance to shine, an unusual choice of instrument, but handled expertly in Adele’s hands.
To begin the second half, the principal flutist and oboist (Emma Brown and Barry Solomon) played the Fugal Concerto by Gustav Holst. There are several oddities from the pen of Holst, the Fugal Concerto is certainly high among them. A work that does what it says – it’s very contrapuntal yet gives space for the soloists to weave their melodies and virtuosity. Played flawlessly by our two principals and the orchestra.
To end the concert, they played Schubert’s 6th Symphony in C. Derek brings decades of experience to any performance and none more so than in Schubert. He makes a meticulous study of the score to ensure that every dramatic climax, or entry is subtly nuanced, and the melodies flow naturally. With this symphony we had drama aplenty and wonderfully lilting melodies. Derek judged all tempi to perfection and wrung every drop of musicianship from the ALBA Sinfonia to achieve the desired effect. At the end, we applauded loudly for a job well done!
Graham Wilson (Freelance Reviewer for ALBA)
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