Westmorland Orchestra, Kendal Leisure Centre

THE Westmorland Orchestra’s summer concert is by tradition more lightweight than the winter programmes. In this concert, in place of the usual symphonic repertoire, the second half of the programme was given over to a succession of Viennese marches, polkas and waltzes by the Strauss family and their contemporaries. Audience participation was invited for Strauss’ well-known Radetzky March and a group of young children (and two grown-ups) provided appropriate sound effects on their toy poppers in the Champagne Polka.

Sadly, this attractive programme failed to fill the Westmorland Hall. This was a pity because the playing throughout the evening was of a high standard, the result of the players’ hard work in rehearsal and the leadership provided by conductor Richard Howarth.

The concert began with a lovely performance of Humperdinck’s overture Hansel and Gretel. The four horns were in fine form as they played the introduction - a hymn which the composer gives to the two children later in the opera - and distinguished themselves throughout the evening.

Next came Edouard Lalo’s tuneful Cello Concerto with the talented young cellist Lucy Arch as soloist. Lucy is studying for her postgraduate diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music. She is not a powerful player but she made a beautiful sound throughout (and later in a performance of Johan Strauss’ Romance for Cello and Orchestra). She has a flawless technique and has a fine sense of phrasing; she is clearly a young artist to watch.

Following the concerto we heard George Gershwin’s exciting and colourful An American in Paris in which the composer attempts to record the sounds, moods and sights of Paris which so captivated him on his visit to the city in 1928; even the Paris taxi horns find their place in the score. The players really let their hair down in this performance, capturing the ‘bluesy’ feel and releasing all the energy of this colourful work; some excellent solo playing from the orchestra’s sectional principals gave added pleasure.

Clive Walkley