Concert Programme and Reviews

Balmy night of summer music

The Harrogate Symphony Orchestra's final appearance of their 2001-02 season was presented at the Royal Hall on Saturday evening eith their Summer Gala Concert.

The programme included a popular ciolin concerto, works by two giants of English 20th Century music and the usual favourites from the Last Night of the Proms. Appearing with the orchestra were Marat Bisengaliev, violin, the local MP, Phil Willis, as narrator, and soprano Gia Coppolo.

What a pity the Last Night of the Proms programme was being played at another concert in the Harrogate International Centre. Despite this, a loyal audience of all ages enjoyed an excellent concert.

The programme began with the Coronation March - "Crown Imperial" by William Walton, written for the coronation of George VI in 1937. It was the orchestra's tribute to the great English composer, born in Oldham in 1902, in this his centenart year.

Using a similar format as used by Elgar in his coronation march for Edward VII, Walson evokes all the feeling of majesty and ceremony by way of rich orchestration and a memorable long tne in the Trio section. Only Walton seemed capable of writing such a melody after Elgar.

The orchestra immediately set the mood in the opening bars with a clean crisp sound. In the contrasting trio section the strings produced a fine warm tone, later strengthened with the full orchestra and who could not be stirred in the impressive coda by the final brass chords. This was a really excellent performance from the orchestra.

Marat Bisengaliev was the soloist in Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto n a return visit to Harrogate. How lucky we all were to hear this highly acclaimed performer.

A finely-balanced performance from all concerned, very romantic in spirit, showed the soloist at complete ease with the music.

From the very opening played immediately y the soloists, Marat produced a clear, clean sound, encompassing Mendelssohn's long impassioned theme.

The orchestra supported well with the very transparent orchestration. The mood changes were well conceived with the soloist making light of any technical difficulties.

Throughout the first and slow second movements, orechstra and soloist worked well together. However, at the beginning of the third movement they were, rhythmically, rather untidy and it took some time for the movement to settle.

Settle it did, with the soloist displaying brilliance throughout and the orchestra, with Mendelssohn's delicate tracery and lightness of touch, suggesting the feeling of his "Midsummer Night's Dream" music. Most appropriate for this time of year.

"The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" by Benjamin Britten opened the second half. Originally written for a film called "The Instruments of the Orchestra" in 1947, the piece is a set of variations demonstrating the sounds of the instruments. The narrator introduces each family, then the individual instruments.

The audience was asked to be kind to the narrator as he was not used to public speaking! In Phol Willis MP, we had the ideal narrator, clear spoken, authoritative and clearly enjoying the role. The narrative was written by Bryan Western, the orchestra's conductor, who had updatd the somewhat staid original version.

Britten had written difficult variations for all the instruments and the players rose to the challenge of their own variation whether it required technical skill, quality tone or the ability to blend well with the rest of the orchestra when accompanying the instrumental variation.

The fugue, begun with the piccolo, reinstroduced all the instruments building the sound to a wonderfull climax on the entry of the brass playing Purcell's original theme. A most enjoyable performance.

The concert finished with the three Last Night of the Proms favourites, "Pomp and Circumstance March No 1" by Edward Elgar, "Fantasia on British Sea Sonds" arranged by Henry Wood and Hubert Parry's "Jerusalem". For the "Sea Songs" the orchestra was joined by the soprano, Gia Coppolo.

For these three pieces the audience, especially the children, had waited patiently to wave their flags, blow their hooters and sing the three favourites of any "Last Night", "Land of Hope and Glory", "Rule Britannia" and "Jerusalem", and they certainly did.

This had been one of the most successful Summer Concerts.

The smiles on many adults faces leaving the hall on Saturday evening with excited children, some rather tired, certainly gave the message that they had come to the right hall.

- Neil Richards, Harrogate Advertiser