Press quotes (2010) ...
The Forum, Bath
Monday, February 15, 2010What better than a programme of the highest quality English music to warm the musical sensibilities on a cold winter's night? Vaughan Williams' Wasps Overture provided the opening buzz and some bright-edged trumpet playing added a sting to the texture, amid the folk tunes, arranged with subtle skill. After some initial minor disarray, the stings got their act together to conclude a very satisfying performance.
It was even more satisfying to hear the complete set of Elgar's Enigma Variations, accompanied by excellent programme notes, identifying the individuals to whom each referred. We had a captivating Variation XI featuring Dan the bulldog, a favourite of Elgar, an excellent Nimrod, sensitive and evocative, the strings now in fine form, the ensemble smooth and resonant, a warmly vibrant XII ( B G N) allowing the lower strings to show their depth and sonority and the brass came into their own in the final XIV, Elgar's own, resounding and richly lyrical. It was extremely well done, the contrasts carefully observed and the different moods brought imaginatively to life.
RVW's 2nd London Symphony provided the second half, portraying the city in all its different humours. The telling comparisons between night and day ~ the opening early morning very expressive of a sleeping city gradually coming to life, the distinction between frenetic activity – crowded streets – and relative tranquillity were beautifully realised. It was an admirably balanced reading which reached the heart of this splendid work, with some fine woodwind giving the sound that important astringent edge before the whispered finale.
A very satisfying evening's music, brought to a delightful conclusion by conductor David Price's final anecdote. After a performance of the Enigma Variations, a little bright-eyed old lady stood in the foyer clearly looking for a sympathetic ear, to which she confided, in a rush of excited enthusiasm: "I must tell someone: I'm number VI." It brought the house down.
Peter Lloyd Williams