Concert Reviews
January 2025 Concert - Emmanuel Church
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At Emmanuel Church, on 18 January, the Loughborough Orchestra provided a rich and varied programme of music from the eighteenth to twenty-first centuries for John Bean's first concert in total charge. First, one of Brahms' most popular pieces, the 'Academic Festival Overture', with memorable student songs worked in, and played with sparkle and triumphant fun.
Next, the privilege of a World Premiere: 'Hope in Challenging Times', a tone poem with a symphonic feel by Alison Bean (wife of conductor John), expressing through music the challenges of recent and current decades. Three movements took us through a time of foreboding; of restless energy, expressing global disquiet after 9/11; and of our current US-dominated world, expressed through variations on The Star-Spangled Banner, though with contrasting hints of the Russian national anthem - yet expressing hope, with an optimistic,
even exuberant end.
Then we were treated to one of the all-time classics: Bruch's First Violin Concerto, with a young talent, Ailsa Burns as soloist - a recent graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music, who will be one to watch - playing with fluency, intensity and warmth. Sparked by such prodigious talent, the Loughborough Orchestra rose to the occasion, giving us a performance of passion and strength.
The concert concluded after the interval with Haydn's final symphony, No.104, one of his most popular. Haydn liked a slow introduction (here: emotional and arresting), before launching his main theme, with memorable tunes and progressions. The elegant Andante was briefly interrupted by 'Sturm und Drang' (storm and stress); the Menuetto included elements of Haydn's humour; while the Finale made effective use of folk melodies, memorable and fun, and played with confidence and energy. Congratulations to John and everyone involved on a successful first concert together.
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Anthony Thacker
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​​January 2024 Concert - Emmanuel Church
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Review from Roderic Dunnett can be read
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The Loughborough Orchestra returned with a strong programme on 20 Jan, at Emmanuel Church, Loughborough – its last concert with Trevor Lax in sole charge. First, Weber’s Der Freischütz Overture, where the classical gives way for the romantic era in opera, a piece Loughborough Orchestra realised well, with its calm, majestic start, unfolding drama where magic, danger and romance intersect, and confident conclusion.
Then came Smetana’s wonderfully evocative picture of the river Vltava, from his Ma Vlast. The woodwind’s bubbling start was particularly effective, preparing us for the big tune. A piece full of lovely colours, well captured.
For Richard Strauss’ 1st Horn Concerto, we were treated to something special, a 17-year-old of the National Youth Orchestra, Claire Marsden, playing the piece from memory – with strength, clarity, and a lyrical quality. The Orchestra was also on form, very expressive in the closing of the first movement. The second movement, with its haunting chords, showed orchestra and soloist well matched; and in the final movement, Claire showed her virtuosic skills, while showing passion and feeling.
After the interval, the Orchestra treated us to a fine performance of DvoÅ™ak’s 8th Symphony, starting with the ebb and flow from the early minor theme through the cheerful major passages of the opening movement. The slow movement, a masterclass in orchestration, gave plenty of opportunity for different groups of instruments expressing the part brooding, part flowing moods of the piece. A valse triste followed with folk-like charm, and plenty of movement, especially for the cellos, who handled it well. The finale, variations, fizzing with energy, gave us a glorious conclusion to a great evening.
Anthony Thacker
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June 2023 - Emmanuel Church
The Loughborough Orchestra’s summer concert at Emmanuel Church, Loughborough, on Saturday 17 June, started with nineteenth century Scottish composer Hamish McCunn’s atmospheric Land of the Mountain and the Flood, ably played. After the rousing opening, we were treated to pleasant vistas, nice orchestration and plenty of ‘Scotch snaps’. Carl Reineke’s flute concerto of 1908 followed, played by Joseph Geary, a young man to watch, with a lovely tone, easy relaxing style, seemingly effortless playing, and perfect balance between soloist and orchestra throughout. Geary was very moving in the second movement, the emotional heart of the piece. But he was equally fine with the more virtuosic demands of the final movement. However, his encore was the highlight for me, a riveting performance of Debussy’s Syrinx, which moved me to tears.
After the interval, two giants of the repertoire: Wagner and Beethoven. First, one of Wagner’s most celebrated pieces, the prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin – an opportunity for the expanded brass section to shine!
Then Beethoven’s glorious Pastoral Symphony. The Loughborough Orchestra well conveyed the warmth of the piece – the jubilant feeling of the opening movement; the elegance and charm of the second; the frolicsome merrymaking of the third; the drama of the fourth (the Storm); and the rewarding conclusion of the Finale. As for the demands of the piece, the wonderfully rhythmically off-beat phrases were handled so well by the oboes and other woodwind in the second and third movements, and the challenging pace for the cellos in the fourth was realised. This most agreeable of Beethoven’s symphonies was enjoyably rendered.
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Anthony Thacker
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