The concert will end with a work renowned as a good example of successful industrial relations. In 1772 when Haydn’s players were restless about time spent away from their families at a summer palace some distance from home, Haydn composed this symphony to convey their disquiet to their aristocratic employer, in a most interesting manner…!

The woodwind category winner of BBC Young Musician in 2010, Emma Halnan has also appeared as concerto soloist and in 2016 she recorded and broadcast on Classic FM a piece specially composed for her by eminent composer Sir Karl Jenkins.

For some, perhaps, the signature serenade ‘Eine Kleine Nacht Musik’ (1787) is almost a cliché of melodic loveliness. It is, as Hywel Jenkins remarks in the programme notes, a piece audiences have almost ‘breathed in through the air’. But if the music itself has few surprises, the challenge is to tackle that paradox of Mozart’s music – that he is both extremely easy and extremely difficult. Gabriel Faure and Claudio Arrau, Mitsuko Uchida and Alfred Brendel, have all declared Mozart the greatest challenge: ‘to control the transparent texture of his writing’, the latter said, ‘demands a greater degree of mastery than can ever be attained’.

Such a challenge was met with determination. In essentially a chamber ensemble with no hiding places, it was occasionally apparent that a stringed instrument or two had not quite the tone of their fellows: that once or twice the timing of an entrance wasn’t precise; that this test for every single one of Mozart’s notes to be sounded and heard perfectly was a mighty task for an amateur orchestra. And yet, the effect was completely delightful! The opening allegro was sweet and uplifting, the romanza emotionally persuasive with just a hint of pathos lovingly elicited by conductor Hitoshi Suzuki, the minuet/landler beautifully paced, and the final rondo a spring-like defiance of January weather. As always, the cellos were uniformly excellent and it was evident that there are some outstanding players among the violins.

The real Mozartian treat, however, came with the Flute Concerto in G (1778), a piece that defies the composer’s professed distaste for the flute as an instrument. More than a simply sugary, summer-day melody, the allegro opens with a vigorous rhythm brilliantly rendered by soloist Emma Halnan. How was it possible for her to be both impish and noble, both joyous and refined? And yet her performance contained all of these aspects. The allegro’s demand for excellent breath control – particularly in the leaps from lower to higher register – was delivered effortlessly. Halnan’s beautiful slow movement had grace and a warm tone. The rondo – like the allegro – was playful, but never swaggering. Halnan’s control from start to finish was notable, while the interplay between the flute and very prominent horns – as well as the surprisingly complex second violins – was a feature of the piece.

A glass of something brought us to a change of tempo in the second half of the programme, where conductor Hitoshi Suzuki gave us his rationale for the choice of Respighi: he shared with us a composer-friend’s advice that only a fool would tamper with Mozart or Haydn, because they will always triumph over your attempt. But it was nice to perform a piece based on older Italian, French and English works written for the lute and harpsichord but revisited through modern eyes, in the case of the Ancient Airs and Dances (1930).

‘Suite 3’, composed for strings, opens with ‘Italiana’, where the graceful main theme layered over a gossamer veil of pizzicato to give translucence to the music was very nicely captured by the MSO. Though the pizzicato keeps the piece moving forwards, the air itself seems forever and hauntingly looking back, evoking a sense of nostalgia for the past. This feeling is confirmed in the second “movement”, ‘Arie di Corte’, themselves a mini-suite of elegant dances appearing first in a minor key where the lower voiced violas and cellos really sing to us. This too was very beautifully performed by the orchestra, the phrasing superb. The succession of melodies, in contrasting time signatures, offered wonderful emotional contrasts highlighting the subtle variety of colours in the strings. Suzuki never rushed, prolonging the mood of wistfulness until the arrival of the poised third “movement”, ‘Siciliana’. Momentarily formal and sweet, it too subsides into the final movement, ‘Passacaglia’, returning us to a sense of loss for what has been, what can never be again. The range of feeling achieved by the orchestra in the Respighi was truly commendable.

The best was last, as the MSO bade us goodnight in a superbly musical way. Haydn’s Symphony No 45, The Farewell, (1772), was the composer’s humorous way of extracting his over-worked musicians from prolonged duties at the Esterhazy Court when their leave was long overdue. The orchestra clearly delighted in the heavenly music coupled with brilliant theatre. The opening allegro assai hinted that surprise might be looming: the main theme introduced by the first violin, underscored in a syncopated rhythm to create a dramatic effect was delivered by energetic strings and the plaintive woodwinds in their full stride. The delicate adagio showcased the lovely playing of the wind section, counterpointed against the cellos; and the third movement, minuet and trio, gave us a wonderful variety of colours especially from the wind players, some of Haydn’s best music. This brought an expectant audience to the charm of the final movement. Starting presto, we enjoyed some impressive horn passages and the exultant bouncing of the violins. Nothing seemed amiss, until we came to the unexpected adagio: and now, as in 1772, one by one small sections of the orchestra clutched their instruments and left the stage. Extravagant hand gestures accompanied the conductor’s departure, until only the Violin Principals Hywel Jenkins and Joyce Rudall remained.

Sheer joy! One cellist told me it was like ‘being on my happiest holiday’ on the stage. But one hopes they will all return for Verdi, Borodin and Tchaikovsky in early May.

Deborah Losey

Sam Haywood has performed to critical acclaim in many of the world’s major concert halls. A finalist in the BBC Young Musician 1986, the Washington Post has hailed his ‘dazzling, evocative playing’ and ‘lyrical sensitivity’ and the New York Times his ‘passionate flair and sparkling clarity’. A regular duo partner with both violinist Joshua Bell, with whom he has recently toured in the US, and cellist Steven Isserlis, Sam is equally at home as a soloist or chamber musician as on the concerto platform.

The genesis of the 2nd symphony of Sibelius can be traced to Sibelius’ trip to Italy in early 1901. The 2nd symphony has retained an extraordinary popularity for its individualistic tonal language, dark wind colouring, muted string writing , simple folklike themes and distinctly “national” flavour that are all Sibelian to the core.

Orchestra manages to deliver gargantuan works in considerable style

For their Spring concert the Mid Somerset Orchestra chose two gargantuan works and delivered them with considerable style.

The Brahms 2nd piano concerto (1881) is a work of length and complexity, an expansive four-movement journey through themes of great tenderness but also dramatic intensity and energy.

From the opening passages, former BBC Young Musician finalist Sam Haywood treated the audience to the rich sonorities, the playful contrasts between light and shade, humour and feeling, which Brahms demands.

A concerto well-known for its dependency on nimble fingers and hands with considerable stretch, Haywood balanced the technical control with great warmth of tone and lyrical expressiveness. Of particular beauty was the handling of the exquisite instrumental dialogues – the horn with the piano in the, opening movement, the cello with the piano in the andante.

Haywood’s dark-light playing was on point. The initial zeal of the scherzo movement mellowed into pathos, chased away by agitation; in the latter section, all tensions then resolved into the sheer beauty of the piano-cello passages.

Alongside Hayward’s own infectious enjoyment of the piece, the dialogue between soloist and the orchestra characterised the performance.

Hitoshi Suzuki worked some alchemy with Haywood to make of this huge concerto almost a chamber work, where the intimacy of the Strode Theatre worked particularly well. Special mention must be made of the lovely lyrical playing of the first cello, Stuart Clark.

The second half of the programme climbed another mountain. Sibelius’ Symphony No 2, more lyrical in Many ways than much of his later work, seemed enormously ambitious for a smaller amateur orchestra.

Yet from the opening three-note motif that gradually builds into a complex theme across the symphony, culminating in that stupendous finale that is often considered an expression of Finland’s plea for national freedom, the audience fell under its spell.

Perhaps conductor Hitoshi has a particular and personal engagement with the Sibelius No 2: he certainly drew power, beauty and precision from his orchestra.

From the initial feeling of hopeful pastoral in the first movement, through the darkly sombre wind instruments hinting at struggle in the second, the restlessness of the third movement scherzo, and the passionate triumph of the finale, the MSO brought the entire landscape of Finland into the Strode.

As with the Brahms, the excellence of the wind instruments – especially the bassoons and horns – and the forward-moving pizzicato of the strings guided by first violinist Hywel Jenkins, brought home a rich and moving musical experience.

Deborah Losey

No time for this here, however, as the MSO’s summer treat for 2019 is a whirlwind “pick’n’mix” with Suppé’s popular Light Cavalry Overture there at the top as you open the packet of goodies! There follows the Spanish bravado, gypsy lilts, tragic drama and, above all, immortal melodies of Bizet’s opera Carmen all captured in 6 short movements, in its turn followed by Grieg’s equally immortal incidental music for Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, whose eponymous hero (and the composer’s fictional compatriot) travels around the world ending up in The Hall of the Mountain King in their mutual native Norway. This then leads to all the best numbers from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Musical Oklahoma!, including Beautiful Morning, Farmer and the Cowboy and of course Oklahoma! theme, all skilfully woven together by Robert Russell Bennett, to close proceedings. Well, not quite. The orchestra, in customary style, will invite the audience at the end to join in with Jerusalem!

Spotlights on the way are on the orchestra’s wind and string sections respectively playing Gounod’s joyous Petite Symphonie and Holst’s ever popular English folk-inspired St. Paul’s Suite.

An assortment of tastes performed

Trumpets and horns introduced the concert with boldness at the beginning of Suppé’s ‘Light Cavalry’ Overture. This piece uses the whole orchestra to encompass extremes, from the excitement of galloping horses to romance expressed by the strings. A good choice for beginning the evening’s entertainment.

The first five of the programme’s presentations were all produced within 20 years, towards the end of the 19th century. Their diversity ranged from Gounod’s ‘Petite Symphonie,’ a nine-player wind piece led by Simon Naylor with its focus on the solo flute, admirably played by Carole Jenner-Timms, to Grieg’s ‘Peer Gynt Suite No. l’ with its well-loved mood-music.

The 67-piece orchestra made the most of the last section, building up the tension in ‘”lhe Hall of the Mountain King: Bizet’s ‘Carmen began with a taught first theme. The harp and flute developed the emotional element in the second movement; the first oboe made the third movement dance from the start.

The last three pieces in the concert were written in the first half of the 20th century. The orchestra’s string section clearly enjoyed playing the ‘St Paul’s Suite’ by Holst. Hywel Jenkins’  intermezzo solo was played beautifully.

The ‘Symphonic Picture’ from ‘Oklahoma’ put the orchestra’s extra forces to good use, particularly the brass section. In places it was very loud; the audience loved it.

At the end of the concert the audience joined the orchestra, as usual, singing to Parry’s arrangement of ‘Jerusalem’.

Hitoshi Suzuki has established his position, having now been the orchestra’s principal conductor for a year. His involvement in the music shows in his fluidity of movement on the podium when aspiring to bring out his vision from the various sections of the orchestra. He addressed the audience at the start of the concert, with an overview of the music, and also introduced the individuals playing the ‘Petite Symphonie.’

More such short, informative and explanatory detail would be appreciated in concerts like this, where many people will not have had a chance to take full advantage of Hywel Jenkins’ detailed programme notes beforehand, and where a few words make the music more immediately accessible, especially to younger audience members.

Overall, this was mostly an ‘easy-listening’ programme choice, in line with the usual Summer Prom menu.

However, the theatre was less than half full was this because of the lure of Wimbledon, summer barbecues or perhaps the effects of musical over-indulgence at Pilton?

It may be that some who did not come had hoped that more of the usual fare would be on offer. Even some of the audience were left looking in the bottom of the bag for just one or two of their favourites, such as the ‘Sea Songs’ and ‘Rule, Britannia; along with their Union Flags and party poppers.

Joan Dixon

Stunning Sing for Somerset is a Soaring Success!

As the peal of the mighty bells rang out from the south-west tower, over 500 people filled the magnificent Wells Cathedral on Saturday night for our annual Sing for Somerset carol service.

We would like to thank Reverend Prebendary Paula Hollingsworth, Sub Dean for her involvement this year and for stepping in at the last minute. Our gratitude goes to our conductor Laurence Blyth for his leadership and creativity and our thanks as always to the Mid-Somerset Orchestra and the Somerset Voices Choir, who gave their time completely freely for this event and whose dramatic and powerful harmonies had some of the congregation in tears!

The Virgers and staff at the Cathedral also deserve a huge thank you for their support and assistance during the service along with the ushers who volunteered their time to make sure that everyone found a seat ahead of the service.

Our gratitude, of course, goes to our six readers, who delivered their part of the nativity story from the Cathedral’s pulpit faultlessly.

The generosity during the retiring collection, particularly at such an expensive time of year for many people, was greatly appreciated and will help to enable us to continue to support groups across Somerset during the coming years.

Finally, a date for your new 2018 diary! Sing for Somerset 2018 will be held on Saturday 15 December at Wells Cathedral – we hope to see you there again!

Review from Somerset Community Foundation

MSO’s 2017/18 winter concert is a truly classical programme featuring music by Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn.

Our guest conductor is Richard Jones who gained his MA from the University of York, specialising in youth music. Always a keen advocate for youth and community music, Richard currently works as the Music and Arts Strategy Manager for South Gloucestershire. He is involved with orchestras and ensembles around the South West.

MSO’s Principal Horn, Jonathan Benger, who has been with the orchestra since 2012, is tonight’s soloist. Jonathan also plays in Frome Symphony Orchestra and gives regular recitals as a solo player and in chamber ensembles.

The concert began with Beethoven’s Overture “Coriolan”, composed in 1807 for Heinrich Joseph von Collin’s play. The overture remains a firm concert favourite, but the play languishes in obscurity.

Mozart’s Horn Concerto No 3 was written in the 1780’s for his life-long friend Joseph Leutgeb.

Mozart’s Comic Opera “Cosi Fan Tutte”, premiered in Vienna in 1790 opens the second half. It includes 2 appearances of a very significant musical reference to the ensuing opera.

Haydn’s Symphony No 99 is one of his 12 London Symphonies, written in Vienna during 1793 when he was anticipating a second trip to London.

Orchestra draws well-earned applause from the audience

The concert opened with a performance of one of Beethoven’s finest overtures, Coriolan. An impressively-played introduction heralded a dramatic account of the piece. The allegro was taken at a steady tempo and one felt that the development could have been more taut. The closing pages were suitably tragic and it was good to hear  the  final  pizzicato chords played with unanimity – not always the case, even with professional orchestras.

There followed the Horn Concerto No 3 in E flat, K 447 by Mozart in which the soloist was Jonathan Benger, the orchestra’s principal horn . He gave a confident rendition of the piece with a nicely judged account of the Romanze. The finale bounced along winningly. The orchestra gave sympathetic support throughout. The audience responded to the performance with well-earned enthusiastic applause.

Mozart’s overture to Casi Fan Tutti ended the first half of the programme. It was played with good dynamic contrast and the woodwind mainly coped well with the tricky florid writing.

Haydn’s Symphony No 99 in E flat rounded off the evening. There was a dramatic account of the introduction to the first movement leading into the Vivace assai which was delivered with buoyant rhythms. The second subject provided suitable contrast. The extensive Adagio was given due weight and solemnity and was well paced.

The minuet and trio had echoes of its roots in the Austrian Landler, by turns bucolic and lyrical with some sensitive wind playing. The finale went with a swing giving rein to Haydn’s engaging wit. In particular the wind relished their humorous  exchanges.  Overall, this was an enjoyabl e account of the work.

Throughout the evening, the orchestra responded well to the conductor’s unfussy direction. One awaits with interest the appearance of the two remaining guest conductors.

BRENDAN SADLER

who has studied all over the world including the University of the Arts Tokyo, Royal Northern College of Music, Royal College of Music and is currently at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. A prizewinner in many orchestral conducting competitions, Hitoshi will certainly bring a unique international perspective to the evening.

Our soloist, Hilary Suckling, graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and the University of Cambridge.  A previous favourite with MSO (Schumann Piano Concerto 2013), Hilary returns to perform Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto.  She has worked as an Accompanist at Chetham’s School of Music, for BBC Young Musician and Yehudi Menuhin soloists, and has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall,  St James’ Piccadilly and BBC Radio 3.

The programme opens with the overture to “The Merry Wives of Windsor” by Nicolai before the evening’s main highlight of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 4

The Festive Overture by Shostakovitch provides a good work out for the brass section and is contrasted by “The Tombeau de Couperin”, a piece written by Ravel as homage to the Baroque French keyboard style.

The concert concludes with Tchaikovsky’s ever popular  Overture Fantasy “Romeo and Juliet”

Review of Mid-Somerset Orchestra’s spring concert at Strode Theatre

The Mid-Somerset Orchestra (Leader Hywel Jenkins) last Saturday presented its spring con-cert at Strode Theatre, Street. They were directed on this occasion by the third of the four guest conductors from whom they hope to select their next incumbent. Hitoshi Suzuki is still a student at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles and he made a good impression in a programme of diverse styles.

The first item on the programme was Nicolai’s popular overture to his comic opera, The Merry Wives of Windsor.

The introduction was suitably atmospheric, conjuring up Windsor Forest at midnight. The following Allegro was taken at a well-judged pace and the development nicely captured the rumbustious activities of the opera’s third act.

The soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 in G was Hilary Suckling, making her second appearance with the orchestra. She gave a most convincing rendition of the piece. Her passage work was crisp and accurate and there was much sensitivity in the more lyrical moments of the score.

In the first movement she elected for the more expansive and virtuosic of the two cadenzas which Beethoven provided. This she dispatched with great panache.

In the second movement the contrast between the dark string utterances and the piano’s reflective responses were most effective.

The lively finale was given plenty of rhythmic impetus and rounded off a satisfying performance of the whole.

Shostakovich’s Festive Overture opened the second half of the programme. The brass relished the opening fanfare which led to an allegro into which every section threw their all, as befits a piece of occasional music, in this instance the celebration of the Russian revolution.

Ravel’s Suite “Le Tombeau de Couperin” is a demanding piece and it stretched the orchestra’s capabilities to its limits. After an untidy start, things settled down and there were some nice touches in the gentler middle movements.

The highlight of the evening for your reviewer was an impassioned performance of Tchaikovsky’s much-loved Fantasy Overture “Romeo and Juliet”. The atmosphere of the lugubrious introduction was well captured and the allegro packed a real punch.

The great love theme was beautifully shaped. The development was taut with accurate crashing chords and searing trumpets at the climax. The strings covered themselves with glory in the final statement of the love theme and the closing pages were particularly heart rending.

Despite his youth, Hitoshi Suzuki is clearly a talent to be watched. The orchestra made their feelings plain with enthusiastic applause. He must be strong contender for the vacant post.

Brendan Sadler

Concert season ends with European Tour

For their final concert of the season at Strode Theatre, Street, the Mid-Somerset Orchestra (Leader Hywel Jenkins) presented a programme of mostly short items under the title “European Tour: The conductor was Dennis Simons, a founder member of the Alberni String Quartet and one time leader of the BBC Philharmonic. He was the last of the four conductors this season from whom the orchestra hopes to select their next permanent Music Director.

The concert began with the overture “Roman Carnival” by Hector Berlioz. A confident opening flourish gave way to the introduction proper which featured Angharad Owen on the Cor Anglais. The tempo of the allegro was well judged as was the build of the final crescendo culminating in a blaze of brass. A promising start to the evening.

Less of a show-piece was the overture “The Land of Mountain and the Flood” by the late nineteenth century Scottish composer, Hamish MacCunn. It captures the sweep and changing moods of landscape north of the border which were well conveyed in a satisfying performance.

There followed one of Jean Sibelius’ best known works, the Tone Poem “Finlandia”. This received a powerful performance. From the impressive opening statement by the brass and timpani through a well balanced statement of the hymn like central section to the final peroration, this was a thrilling account of this popular work.

The final work of the first half was the Berlioz inflected overture “Donna Diana” by Reznicek.

This came as something of an anti-climax after the fervour of the Sibelius. Whilst decently enough played at a steady tempo, it came across as some-what staid.

More Berlioz followed the interval in the form of his overture “Le Corsair”. This is one of the composer’s most demanding overtures and the orchestra acquitted themselves well delivering a rumbustious account of the score.

A performance of Jules Massenet’s ballet music from his opera “Le Cid” followed. This was imbued with the spirit of the dance. The tempi through-out the seven movements were well judged and played with appropriate rhythmic vitality. There were idiomatic contributions from the various sections of the orchestra, in particular the flutes.

Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slav was the penultimate piece in the programme and was well played. The measured temp was apt and the final climax, including the Tzarist National Anthem, made a good impression.

The evening concluded with the annual rendition of Parry’s Jerusalem in which the audience participated with gusto.

Throughout the evening the orchestra responded well to Dennis Simon’s unfussy direction.

Choosing a new Music Director will not be an easy task and one awaits with interest the outcome of the orchestra’s ballot.

Brendan Sadler

A very rare opportunity to hear a Beethoven masterpiece combined with a welcome return of one of the MSO’s most esteemed soloists, on this occasion in the company of equally esteemed companions!

Martin Sedlák, who gave a magnificent performance of Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in November 2015, returns as cellist with violinist Lucie Sedláková Hůlová and pianist Veronika Böhmová as Kinsky Trio Prague, soloists with MSO in a performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Triple Concerto of 1803.

In honour of their guests, the orchestra will complement the Concerto with two Czech masterworks. The concert will open with Tábor, the 5th of the cycle Má Vlast (My Homeland), the celebrated set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by Bedřich Smetana. Named for the city of Tábor in the south of Bohemia founded by the Hussites and serving as their centre during the Hussite Wars, the piece is dominated by one of their hymns ‘Ye Who Are Warriors of God’. No celebration of music in Czech Republic can go without a major work by Dvořák and the 2nd half of the concert will be a performance of his beautiful, cheerful, optimistic and ever popular 8th Symphony of 1889.

KINSKY TRIO: PIANIST WAS PARTICULARLY NOTEWORTHY

A near capacity audience attended last Saturday evening’s concert given by the Mid-Somerset Orchestra (Leader Hywel Jenkins) at Strode Theatre, Street under the baton of their regular conductor, Stephen Smith. The three items on the programme were all from the nineteenth century Romantic era.

The first item was Tabor, one of the least known of the six symphonic poems that make up Smetana’s Ma Vlast, My Homeland. It depicts the 15th century struggle of the Hussites against Catholic oppression. After a hesitant opening the performance grew in power with some particularly sonorous brass and vigorous strings,

A relative rarity followed, namely, Beethoven’s concerto for violin, cello and piano in which the protagonists were members of the Kinsky Trio from Prague. The orchestra set the scene with a suitably broad introduction.

The three instrumentalists worked well together and their ensemble was well balanced in their many exchanges. There were some occasional lapses of intonation from the violin and cello but not such as to mar one’s enjoyment.

The opening of the slow movement was beautiful played by the strings of the orchestra followed by an alluring entry by the solo cello which created an atmosphere as if we were eavesdropping on an intimate conversation.

This led directly into the third movement. This has a polonaise-like rhythm which was given plenty of “bounce” by all concerned. There were witty exchanges between the members of the trio and between them and the orchestra. The pianist was particularly noteworthy.

The final work of the evening was Dvorak’s melody rich Symphony No.8 in G, Op 88. This was given a cracking performance. The beautifully moulded opening theme on the cello augured well for the rest of the performance and so it proved. Tempi were well judged and the attentive players responded to their conductor’s every change of tempo and subtle use of rubato. All sections of the orchestra were at the top of their game such that it is not possible, in the space available, to go into every detail.

Particularly memorable were the soaring violins in the reprise of the main theme of the slow movement and the joyous whoops of the horns in the last. Mention must also be made of Hywel Jenkins sensitive solo in the Adagio and the first flute, to which Dvorak allotted many solo passages and which were superbly executed by Carole Jenner-Timms.

Once again Stephen Smith has demonstrated his skill inspiring his players to give of their best. It was, therefore saddening to learn that this is his last season with the orchestra. He will be a hard act to follow.

Brendan Sadler