M&G
Civic Concert at the Civic Theatre Chelmsford
09.02.14
This
eagerly-awaited first
visit
from the Northern Chamber Orchestra, directed
from the violin by Nicholas Ward,
opened with a richly romantic pairing of Mendelssohn and Bruch,
before Haydn's
Hen and the September Threnody of David Ellis, former Artistic
Director of the NCO.
Given
its world première
a year ago [in celebration of the composer's 80th
birthday] the
Threnody is
bracketed by a string trio. The rich string sound, the striking
harmonies, and the delicate grazioso movement make it a moving,
meditative work.
The
concert began with a charming, very classical, Mendelssohn String
Symphony, with a clever alternating pizzicato in lower and upper
strings, written when young Felix was only twelve.
The
soloist in the much-loved Bruch Violin Concerto was Jennifer Pike,
propelled to fame at that same early age by BBC Young Musician in
2002. A reduced orchestration [just six woodwind] cut through the
romantic miasma, and matched Pike's robust, impassioned approach.
After
Haydn's Hen – great fun in a meticulous, often muscular performance
– it was back to the Romantics for a lovely bonus, the Minuet from
Schubert's Fifth Symphony.
The
next M&G Concert, on Sunday 2 March, features the Academy of
Ancient Music in a programme of Vivaldi and Bach.
