Concert Programme and Reviews

An enjoyable evening of popular classics deserved a bigger audience

Let me get my first grumble out of the way at once.

I regret that the publicity for Saturday night's excellent concert had not been a little more prominent, for although a respectable audience turned out to occupy much of the Conference Centre, the vast space of that building might have been even fuller if the district had been more aware of what was on offer.

As it was, the audience attending the Summer Gala Concert mounted by those ever reliable stalwarts of our district, the Harrogate Symphony Orchestra and the Harrogate Choral Society, clearly enjoyed an evening of popular classics from the orchestra, choral and solo repertoire.

Moreover, the Summer Gala Concert, organised as yet another expression of support for the Royal Hall, was embellished by the presence of the lovely and accomplished Mezzo-Soprano Carole Wilson, and the impressive tenor Dominic Natoli, a singer of great presence and power.

Which brings me to my second gumble. Why do such magnificent voices need the horrid distortion of electronic amplification? Each singer was so obviously in command of a professional technique of such ability as to make the contribution of this beastly machine not only superfluous, but, in my view, an insult to such glorious voices.

Apart form the good standard of the playing, the evening's success owes much to the disciplined control shown by conductor Bryan Western. The Harrogate Symphony Orchestra's opening piece was Rossini's William Tell Overture.

Now, I have heard more performances of this piece spoiled by two things more frequently than anything else, namely (1) an uncertain flautist who muffs entries, and (2) over-enthusiastic timpani players who would be better employed as carpet beaters.

Fortunately, Saturday's flautists were spot on, and the timpani was equally sensitive, and set the standard for the evening that was so evident in the lovely clarinet cadenza in Henry Wood's Sea Songs fantasia in the second half.

The same praise applies to the contributions from the Choral Society, although I admit to wishing that they had a slightly fuller male voice component. There were so many "plums" in this concert that space requirements preclude a detailed account of each, although the contributions of the harpist and bassoonist to the exquisitely sung Donizetti aria, were memorable.

The Last Night of the Proms atmosphere of the second half was obviously enjoyed by the great majority present.

But a word more. I have noticed a tendency of recent years for certain conductors to adopt an insufferably chummy tone with audiences, almost as if they regard the public as a fragile bunch who are likely to be so put off anything classical that they need to be re-assured that classical music is neither threatening or demanding. Some are drawn to the microphone like wasps to a jam pot. A piece of advice: the public is more receptive than the mass media assumes it to be.

- M G Neesam, Harrogate Advertiser