Royal Northern Sinfonia, Westmorland Hall, Kendal
The Westmorland Hall was almost full for the concert given recently by the Royal Northern Sinfonia, and with good reason: the orchestra has an international reputation and the playing throughout the evening was superb.
The concert began with a performance of Mendelssohn’s much-loved Hebrides Overture. Conductor, Thomas Zehetmair (now the Sinfonia’s conductor laureate), has a wonderful rapport with the orchestra and the players responded to his shaping of phrases and frequent yet subtle tempo changes. He brought something new to this well-known work through his interpretation and there were many magical moments: the luminous pianissimo playing of the strings, the woodwind fanfares of the central section and the clarity of the texture, to name but some.
The orchestra’s principal flautist, Juliet Bausor, (a former BBC Young Musician Concerto finalist) then joined the orchestra for Nielsen’s quirky Flute Concerto. She is a brilliant flautist with a flawless technique; any amateur flautists in the audience must have been envious of her technical agility and the beauty of her tone.
The second half of the programme began with a piece for strings alone, Ramifications by Transylvanian-born composer György Ligeti. Ligeti divides his strings into two sections with one section’s strings tuned a quarter-tone apart from the other. In this piece texture is more important than melody, resulting in a fascinating kaleidoscope of constantly changing colours. The piece may not have been to everyone’s liking but it was good to hear a work by one of the avant-garde composer of the 20th Century who sought to take music in new direction.
The concert ended with a fine performance of Sibelius’ dark fourth symphony. On the surface, this is perhaps the least appealing of Sibelius’ symphonies, but it is a great work and it was a privilege to hear it played with such concentration and precision under the guidance of a conductor who commands such respect and authority as Thomas Zehetmair.
Clive Walkley
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here