Concert Reviews
​​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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