Orchestra’s evening of contrast

The Canterbury Orchestra gave a dynamic account of two contrasting styles for its concert at the ColyerFergusson Hall.

The cleanly-etched Beethoven of the First Symphony and Coriolan Overture was paired with the more texturally-nuanced Mendelssohn, in the latter’s Violin Concerto and Hebrides Overture.

It made for a varied programme and gave the orchestra opportunity to show off their commitment to focused ensemble playing and sense of dynamic, welldrilled as they are under conductor Andrew Lowen.

The Coriolan Overture’s crescendi were built fluidly without overspill and the various points of structure were punctuated nicely, with an emergent sense of tragedy that culminated in a forceful cadence in the minor towards the close.

The main event of the evening’s first half was the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, which seemed almost startling texturally in comparison with the lean writing of the Beethoven. The orchestra did a fine job in handling the palette of the opening, and were alternately subtle and carefully powerful throughout the work.

Credit here must also go to the woodwind section, who were delicate but incisive when called upon. Leader and soloist Amanda Wyatt gave a fantastic performance, handling with equal commitment the pathos of the first movement and the delicate effervescence of the finale.

Throughout, her playing was assured and rich in variety, her solo line shifting in focus from foreground to background; at times the focal point, and at others darting into darkness.

Dovetailing with its richer counterpart, the Hebrides Overture was an effective opening to the second half.

At the close of the evening we returned to Beethoven. To its great credit, the Canterbury Orchestra got this entirely right, holding for a short but quizzical moment the silence between each pair of chords – although the modern listener may not immediately grasp the oddity of the notes themselves, their pacing tonight managed to restore some of their hesitant beauty. Sam Perfect