A Festival of British Light Music

The Mid-Somerset Orchestra’s concert at Strode Theatre on the 5th of July was billed as ‘A Festival of Light Music’.

However, the combined forces onstage were anything but lightweight, with over forty musicians, ranging from a panoply of percussion needing four players, to a harp for the quieter moments.

Roger Parsons’ introductions to pieces contained interesting details about the composers and their work.

Most of the fifteen pieces were created during the first half of the twentieth century. During the two wars the radio was a particularly effective way of sharing music by British composers and raising spirits.

Military rhythms and emphasis on wind and brass were in evidence throughout many of the pieces. Members of the audience were quick to recognise ones which have stood the test of time and are still regularly played on radio and television. The inclusion of Edward German’s ‘Gipsy Dances’ and George Butterworth’s ‘The Banks of Green Willow’ added extra dimensions to the programme.

The concert marked Marianne Sutton’s first season as the new Permanent Leader of the Orchestra. Having attended Wells Cathedral School, she continued her studies at Oxford University and is now a professional violinist as well as a teacher at Millfield School.

At the end of the concert the audience showed enthusiastic applause for the orchestra, Conductor Hitoshi Suzuki, Leader Marianne and Presenter Roger Parsons. Both the Orchestra and the Theatre have subsequently received enthusiastic feedback from members of the audience.

Joan Dixon