REVIEW
Maidstone Symphony Orchestra, review by Dr Brian Hick Warm romantic music for a chilly winter’s evening. A very popular programme brought a large number to the Mote Hall on Saturday, enhanced no doubt by the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Heart of Kent Hospice.
Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for Strings is indelibly linked for many of us to Ken Russell’s film for Monitor in 1962 and the boy on the white horse sweeping across the Malvern Hills.
The strings were on wonderful form and their new leader Andrew Pearson seems to have added a new enthusiasm to their playing. Bruch’s Violin Concerto (yes of course there is more than one but the first has a head start!) is still regularly at the top of Classic FM’s Hall of Fame.
It had a freshness and immediacy which was compelling. Much of this was down to Benjamin Baker’s playing. Brian Wright has a wonderful knack of finding us young soloists on the cusp of international stardom and surely here was another. It was a masterly performance but also served to show what a masterpiece the concerto itself is, standing up to any number of repeats, day after day.
The contrasting undulations of the second movement were well found as were the dance-like measures of the third. The change in atmosphere for the austere fourth movement impressed, allowing us to emerge into the sunlight for the finale and the sparkle of the Rhine itself.
This season is proving to be exceptional. Let us hope there are as many in the hall in February for John Lill playing Beethoven for the President’s Concert.
The Supreme Court hearing into Article 50 and Brexit has become impenetrable to the casual observer. Take this tweet from Sky political editor Faisal Islam as an example: “Lord Pannick now on the Newfoundland lobster farmers who were impacted by a use of prerogative to change a Treaty with France in 1892.” Suddenly, council meetings don’t seem so dull.
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