A Night of Romantic Orchestral Masterpieces

The audience in Strode Theatre was given a romantic evening on Saturday 10th May when The Mid-Somerset Orchestra played two late 19th century pieces. The first was Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and, after the interval, Bruckner’s Symphony number 4 in E flat.
Both pieces had their first performances in 1881 and although they are both regarded as “romantic” they present very different aspects of the idea.

The first performance was by a smaller section of the orchestra. The soloist was Aniela Janiak who is 19 years old and has been studying at Wells Cathedral School since 2023. She already has a list of impressive achievements, winning prestigious top awards in international competitions and several scholarships, including a “Scholarship for the most talented” from her home city of Łódź in Poland. She intends to continue her studies in a conservatoire in London or America. She plays a violin made by J. Paul Anderson. Her talent is remarkable.
Aniela demonstrated the huge variety of techniques needed to play this demanding piece. Her solo passages were assured and vibrant and there was good rapport between her, the conductor, and the rest of the orchestra.

The strings’ pizzicato passages and a delicate clarinet solo were notable in this first piece. Considering the number of versions, variants and interpretations of Bruckner’s 4th Symphony, the audience might have been wondering what exactly they would be hearing in the second half of the concert. (Bruckner’s own last amendments were seven years after the first performance.) However, the conductor, Hitoshi Suzuki, encouraged us to get ready and prepare ourselves for the (somewhat demanding) journey ahead

There were more players for this part of the concert and the wind sections were particularly in evidence. Their horn calls and almost military musical sections were clear and direct, combining with forceful timpani which in other places were played quietly and insistently – both to very good effect.

Overall, this was a concert which demonstrated much talent, along with determined hard work, for our local orchestra to reach such a high level in performance.

Joan Dixon