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A Festival of Firsts for the centenarian EMA. Helping to fill the gap left by the Cathedral Festival, they abandoned Thaxted this year for the County Town, programming two major choral works for the first time. The choirs were Brentwood, Havering, Ingatestone and the Davenant Foundation, with support from Dovercourt.
Bruckner's Third Mass was the major work. Hundreds of singers, four soloists and the might of the Essex Symphony Orchestra combined to suggest the religious fervour of the piece. The brass at the end of the Gloria soon after the Qui Tollis sequence, the soloists in the Credo, especially baritone Ben Beurklian-Carter, added to the drama of this monumental setting. The choral singing was not always totally accurate, but the power of the voices carried the day.
Elgar's mighty Te Deum and Benedictus veer between the grandiose and the devout. The choirs, under the energetic direction of Keith Orrell, did not always sound comfortable with the music, but there were some wonderful moments, such as the blaze of Glory at the end of the Benedictus.
The instrumental interlude was provided by the young Hungarian Tamas Balla, who played an enjoyable, if inauthentic, Marcello oboe concerto. But the real treat was his encore: five minutes of unaccompanied Bach. The perfect phrases rang around the Cathedral, bone-dry Krug after Asti.
Michael Gray
DVORAK'S tuneful Eighth Symphony was given a rousing performance by the ESO, to a disappointingly half-empty church. Justin Doyle got them off to a clean, confident start, and the shared enthusiasm kept us riveted to the excitingly energetic finale. The slow movement had beautifully judged delicate pattering in the strings, with high woodwind over, and the brass were crisp and passionate.
Hugh Watkin's Anthem, receiving only its second performance, was a misty, atmospheric evocation of the Land of My Fathers, with veiled references to the tune itself. It was a long way from Dvorak's Bohemia, but played with a pleasing sense of place by the orchestra. Good to hear new music take its place alongside the old favourites.
Bibi Heal was due to sing some Mozart, but illness prevented her from doing so at the last moment. Instead, we had Hurnperdinck's Hansel and Gretel Overture, in which the orchestra were most convincing in the rush and sweep of the later pages. And, a rare treat, substitute standalone Mozart, the exquisite Adagio in E major, thought to have been written at the request of Brunetti. The solo part here was in the capable hands of the ESO's leader, Keith Gurry.
Michael Gray
Simon Milton’s Fanfare for Verdi Brass was written as a curtain-raiser for the Verdi Requiem, and although it had some impressive spatial effects, and allowed the players a bit of a warm-up, I wasn’t convinced that the main course needs an appetiser. Some thunder was undoubtedly stolen too.
Sandwiched between the massed choirs of the EMA, the ESO, led by Keith Gurry, gave a good, solid account of this operatic score, despite occasional tuning issues. The brass rang out around the church, the strings played with impressive unity, the drum beats sounded like a battering ram on the gates of Hell. The Rex Tremendae managed to sound ominous and effulgent by turns, and the passages where everything was happening at once – the Lacrymosa or the Sanctus – were very effective.
The choirs managed the calm of the opening as well as the frenzy of the Dies Irae, under the experienced direction of Robin Page, no stranger to these occasions.
Deborah Stoddart’s soprano soared thrillingly over the combined forces; the trio Quid Sum Miser was one of the subtler highlights of this performance. Bass Stephen Holloway brought a chilling depth of expression to his part; Serena Kay, mezzo, [a lovely Liber Scriptus] and John Upperton, tenor, made up the quartet.
Michael Gray
Sibelius Fifth, with its hypnotic final movement, is one of the masterworks of music. It was given an appropriately fine performance by the ESO last Saturday, with muscular strings and soaring brass, the horns superb in the bell-like chanting, building the tension and the grandeur.
Justin Doyle, who led them confidently through the frequently bleak Finnish landscape took us on a journey too, as he charted, with musical snatches, the adventures of Sibelius’ tune in the pre-match talk.
Thomas Barber was the soloist in Martinu’s Oboe Concerto. His playing had a wonderful singing tone, with none of the hard edges we so often hear from this instrument. The work itself was interesting but unmemorable, and I did feel that the balance could well have favoured this excellent instrumentalist a little more.
The Orchestra, led once again by Keith Gurry, opened the concert with three of Dvorak’s ever-popular Slavonic Dances – a big sound, but light on its feet, they made a good fist of the robust folksy rhythms, though the Furiant had its rough moments.
The ESO are on great form – catch them next in Thaxted for Verdi, and back at Christ Church in June for more Dvorak.
Michael Gray
JUSTIN Doyle had written a medley specially for The Meadows - and 'Rudolf Comes To Chelmsford' had all the hallmarks of the best light music arrangements, affectionately played by the ESO.
There was music from the opera - those seasonal favourites Fledermaus and Hansel & Gretel - as well as Strauss and Puccini.
The performances were not equally' polished - some Vienna Blood was spilt - but there was no denying the enthusiasm and attack the orchestra brought to this unusual venue, notably in the last piece, Leroy Anderson's Christmas Festival.
American soprano Sena Larard sang Musetta's Waltz Song and the doll from Hoffman, energetically wound up by Mr Doyle. Walking in the Air, too, was sympathetically accompanied by some lovely string playing. Her gorgeous voice seemed ideally suited to the acoustic of the shopping mall, floating effortless all the way from the Works to Waterstones.
The ESO's leader, Keith Gurry gave us all-too-brief a taste of Vivaldi's Winter, and the evening ended with the orchestra's a cappella vocal performance of Silent Night. This splendid seasonal occasion was sponsored by The Meadows and M&G, and raised funds for the Mayor of Chelmsford's Charities.
Michael Gray
Shostakovich is everywhere this year, which sees the hundredth anniversary of his birth.
But of all the performances I have heard, none thrilled me more than the ESO's remarkable Tenth Symphony, for many the composer's finest work. Written in 1953, it is often seen as an attack on the Stalin years, with the fourth movement representing hope for the future. An augmented ESO, with Philippa Barton as guest leader, effectively caught the changing moods of this epic piece - the agressive strings, the brash brass and the powerhouse percussion were all outstanding, and conductor Justin Doyle effectively emphasised the architecture of the work. The violently energetic Scherzo - Uncle Joe himself - was stunning, a stark contrast with the woodwind and pizzicato strings in the closing bars of the Moderato opening. The audience were rightly enthusiastic in their appreciation of some of the best playing we have heard from this orchestra.
The concert began with an assured reading of Schubert's Symphony No. 8, the Unfinished.The second movement featured some superb solos from clarinet; oboe and flute, and the Allegro Moderato had the cello theme creep in gently and calmly; and ended with impressively precise chords from the strings.
Michael Gray
A youthful programme from the Essex Symphony Orchestra, inspiring them to agile and energetic performances.
The curtain-raiser was the young Rossini’s overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers, a rousing, tuneful piece, with impressive solos from oboe and clarinet, and plenty of Rossini rockets.
Sian Philipps has her roots in Essex, and it was good to see her back with the ESO, this time as the soloist in Bruch’s popular Violin Concerto. Her phrasing was fluent, her passion sustained, although some runs sounded blurred from where we were sitting. She crept affectionately into the Adagio, the glorious slow movement that keeps this work at the top of the charts, and finished with a brilliant Allegro Energico. Justin Doyle’s orchestra approached the score with a muscular enthusiasm, and a pleasantly full tone, even if they didn’t always capture the tension and excitement.
After the interval, a nimble trip round Italy with the young Mendelssohn. Here the ESO, led by Keith Gurry, were on sparkling form, helped by precisely placed brass, even if the line occasionally threatened to unravel. The familiar Pilgrims’ March was accompanied by a persistent songbird in Christ Church garden – hoping for Respighi, perhaps.
Michael Gray
Elaine Cocks was the soloist in Finzi's lovely Clarinet Concerto. Her tone was mellow but precisely defined, and she interpreted this very English music with charm and wit. Her cadenza in the first movement was beautifully controlled, and she brought real joie-de-vivre to the jaunty melody in the Rondo. She was sympathetically accompanied by the ESO under Justin Doyle, the whispering strings provided a perfect foil for the reflective reed.
This was the first Christ Church concert for Mr Doyle; he began this "English Serenade" with Elgar's popular Cockaigne Overture, in which the light-hearted local colour came off better than the glorious pomp.
But the real triumph was saved till after the interval. Elgar's mighty Enigma Variations, full of familiar characters and shifts of mood, was played with real passion by the ESO, led as ever by Keith Gurry. Though, like Elgar's pianist friends, they found some of the passages tricky, the heart of the music still beat strongly, helped by some well-disciplined tuttis and some impressive solos. The Enigma crept in at the heels of the delicate Minuet, its emotions always in check in a carefully shaped reading.
Before we heard Elgar's friends, Justin Doyle took us on a guided tour of the piece, with snatches from the band. This successfully helped the musicians to warm up, us to appreciate better what followed, and Doyle to show what makes him such a charismatic conductor.
Michael Gray
The Essex Symphony Orchestra made an unfamiliar foray into the world of commerce, staging the Chelmsford mayor's charity concert in the Meadows shopping centre. I confess I expected echoes like an Alpine pass, but, though the acoustics were on the lively side, they did nothing to cloud the clarity and modulation of the orchestra.
The architecture meant that the brass and woodwind were under the vaulted central roof which produced some stirring brass sounds, while the strings were well forward, under a lower roof which, paradoxically, subdued them a little. Conductor Justin Doyle, a conductor with the BBC Singers, chose an undemanding **evening's listening with a series of cheery and tuneful seasonal lollipops, including excerpts from Carmen, Nutcracker and Copland's Rodeo.
Soprano soloist for Rejoice Greatly from The Messiah, and Czardas from Die Fleidermaus, was Bibi Heal, who has a wonderfully expressive voice and sang the Handel with great authority.
In all, the hard-working orchestra worked in no fewer than 14 numbers in just over an hour, and finished with an inspiring voice rendition of Silent Night, which sent the audience out into the frosty night with smiles.
Jim Hutchon
Note:**The webmaster notes that this was planned by Justin as a lighthearted concert for the listener - yes - but it was not undemanding for the players!
We are all experts on Beethoven now after the BBC's intensive week, when we downloaded the symphonies, dissected the masterworks and discovered some rarities. So the ESO's all-Beethoven programme could not have come at a better time.
Guest conductor Stephen Hope began with the overture to The Creatures of Prometheus where his physical style inspired a performance of great energy and precision.
The shortest of Ludwig's nine symphonies, the Little F Major, began with clarity as well as muscle, and although the phrasing was less clear towards the end, the orchestra gave a decisive conclusion to this microcosm of the symphonic form.
Ruth Palmer was a confident soloist in a forceful reading of the Violin Concerto. She is a young player of poise and presence
who produced her most expressive phrasing in some of the simplest melodies such as in the central section of the Allegro, and the Larghetto was pure delight, the violin line soaring effortlessly over gently-moving orchestral chords.
Justin Doyle is the new conductor of the Essex Symphony Orchestra. He takes over in the autumn, with his inaugural concert rescheduled for October 15.
Michael Gray
Two of the county town's leading music groups combined for this Christmas treat - a large scale, but lithe performance of Haydn's great oratorio. The singers were on excellent form; their words were clear, their entries crisp and enthusiastic. Peter Nardone, who conducted their Messiah so effectively in March, is not a demonstrative director, but his magnetic style seemed to draw out the spirit of the work, as well as shaping the tempi and the dynamics. He favoured a brisk pace, which let the music dance.
The orchestra, too, responded well, led by Keith Gurry. Their atmospheric evocation of Chaos started the evening well, and they provided dramatic punctuation in passages like "thou tak'st their breath away", which was followed by a sharply focused "Achieved is the glorious work" from the choir.
But the evening was memorable chiefly for the three soloists: top-flight singers who worked well together. Giles Underwood's rich baritone was ideal for the Beasts of the Field sequence, with its graphic recitative and powerful aria. Carys Lane, the soprano, was particularly impressive in "On Mighty Pens", and Andrew Carwood, no less, sang the tenor parts, including an eloquent Uriel.
Soloists, choir and orchestra combined to wonderful effect in the inspired "Hymn of Praise" at the heart of Part Three.
Michael Gray
After 20 years Antoine Mitchell is moving on, and this was his final concert with the Essex Symphony Orchestra, whose standards he has done so much to raise.
And what a swan song it was. Two Russian masters and a commissioned piece made up the programme.
To open, a powerful performance of three movements from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. The trumpet solo in the Neapolitan Dance was impressive and [the trumpet] had a prominent part to play in the well-known Waltz which preceded it.
Rachmaninov's Second Symphony is a massive work in a line from the symphonies of Tchaikovsky. The strings were the key-stone here: warm yet precisely phrased, they gave us one soaring theme after another, bringing out the rich emotional landscape of this passionately Romantic piece.
Jane Wells wrote 'Playing the Game' for the ESO as part of the Breakout! composer-in-residence scheme. She was there to share the applause for what was a fascinating exploration of the games children - and grown-ups - play. Sampled playground shouts and laughter were woven into the fabric and the children's voices also inspired the rhythms and the intervals of the music.
It began and ended with an empty space, the playground perhaps, invaded by the calling and the conversations, before the ghosts faded into the dusk at going home time. A challenge for the orchestra (lots of counting!), but one they met with confidence under Antoine's inspiring direction.
He will indeed be missed.
Michael Gray
For their summer concert, the ESO chose light, sprightly works for the main features, with a little Romantic angst for contrast.
The soloist was the young oboe player Jennie-Lee Keetley, who gave a superb account of Mozart's Concerto K314. Her elegant, liquid phrasing was impressive throughout, though especially in the Adagio central movement. I liked her agile handling of the cadenza in the Allegro, too.
The evening opened with Beethoven's brooding Egmont Overture. Strong attack from the lower parts, and an interestingly relaxed take on the sostenuto theme near the start.
Grieg's plaintive arrangements of two of his most heartfelt songs, The Wounded Heart and Last Spring, from his Opus 33, were given powerful readings by the strings of the orchestra, before the winds and percussion joined them for a lively account of Bizet's sparkling Symphony in C. An apprentice work, maybe, but joyously inventive, and nimbly played by the ESO, though occasionally wearing clogs where we might have preferred tap shoes. The lovely Adagio was beautifully judged, with splendid solo work from the two oboes of the orchestra. The conductor, as ever, was Antoine Mitchell, with Bradley Winand at the Leader's desk.
The next concert, on November 20, features a new commission for the ESO, as well as Rachmaninov's popular Second Symphony.
Michael Gray
This concert marks Antoine Mitchell’s twentieth season with the ESO, and the choice of programme emphasised how far the orchestra has come under his baton.
The chief work was Berlioz’s melodramatic 'Symphonie Fantastique'. It’s a mighty piece, deploying huge forces, so a few ragged edges to the ensemble must be forgiven; in any case, the overall effect was thrilling, nowhere more so than in the eerie March to the Scaffold, and the spine-chilling 'Witches’ Sabbath', in which wind players and later the brass had a key role. The strings were precise and warm throughout, and had their best moments in the smiling waltz of 'The Ball'.
The evening began with a bang, and indeed the percussionists had an interesting time in all three works. Sullivan’s concert overture 'Di Ballo' was a colourful evocation of the Savoy ballroom, but only truly fleet of foot in the last pages.
The concerto slot was filled by Saint-Saens, but not piano, violin or cello. Instead, the rich, clear voice of Elizabeth Stokes in extracts from 'Samson et Dalila'. Excellent interpretations of three arias, with the orchestra in magnificent form, led again for this concert by guest leader Bradley Winand. They had their chance to take centre stage in the bacchanal from Act III - exotic winds and then the big string theme.
Michael Gray
Alexis White was the soloist in Schumann’s Piano Concerto, originally written as a gift for his wife Clara. She gave an impassioned, high energy interpretation of this well-loved work, ably supported by the orchestra under Antoine Mitchell. Yes, the ensemble could have been tighter in places; yes, the Vivace Finale could have had a livelier tempo, but the witty cross-rhythms and the leaping themes were well served in an exciting, live performance, with the band catching something of the young soloist’s freshness of approach.
Equally enjoyable was the gentle music for Our Town. The unmistakable Copland colours were accurately caught in some fine string playing. The guest leader for this concert was Bradley Winand.
The ESO’s programme began with Beethoven - a good, confident start to the Coriolan - and ended with Haydn’s London Symphony. This jovial work was world’s away from the New England reverie which preceded it; the Allegro gave the brass their best opportunities of the evening, and I also admired Antoine’s poise and control in the Andante variations. Perhaps more bite in the Minuet, but the hastily penned Finale was as impudent as ever.
Michael Gray
The centrepiece of this communal concert was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and pride of praise must go to Antoine Mitchell. His achievements with the Essex Symphony Orchestra did much justice to this epic work. A confident opening of well-controlled dynamics set the seal on future movements. The military tempo of the second brought smiles of delight to faces around me, especially at the timpani entry. The pizzicato eloquence of the third was a fine prelude to the fulsome sound from cellos and basses which signalled the Ode to Joy. Organiser Betty Beal's efforts were rewarded by the chorus she had gleaned, and despite it's acoustic distance from the main action, and depleted tenor line, it managed the long awaited outburst on cue. What did surprise me was that the German words were sung rather than their English translation, given that the letter version was printed in the programme and that the soloists were members of English National Opera. Of the individual singers, bass Gary Coward was mellifluous throughout, David Newman more at ease in the baritone range of his part and busy soprano Carolyn Cook crisply on song. Full marks to Mitchell and the soloists in Bruckner's Te Deum, who kept this very different musical item on track. A fine evening ensured a dry walk to and from the car, but my, the temperature certainly revealed that this venue is without doubt a barn !
Pat Rudkins
Beecham might well have dismissed it as 'salon music', but Khatchaturian’s delightful Masquerade almost stole the show at Christ Church last Saturday.
Antoine Mitchell’s urbane direction, and Marianne Olyver’s superb lead violin, combined to make a witty, melodic sequence, even if the final Galop almost slowed to a trot at times.
More theatre music to begin, with Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel Overture. A tricky piece to start from cold, but the dance rhythms and expansive string playing towards the end promised good things for the New World Symphony after the interval. And we were not disappointed. Brass, flute and oboe shone in the first movement, and the cor anglais in the Largo was breathtakingly beautiful. We might have appreciated more fire in the Scherzo and the finale, but there was a majestic splendour to the Allegro, and the final chord lingered evocatively in the Christ Church acoustic.
Stephen Hopper was the soloist in a tightly controlled Haydn Trumpet Concerto, with a lovely cadenza at the end of the Allegro. Like Marianne, Stephen lives locally, and it was interesting to hear this familiar piece from the perspective of a player who spent his formative years in the brass band world.
Michael Gray
Alexandra Wood was the soloist in the Brahms Violin Concerto in Christ Church. I do not expect I shall hear a more vital performance of this familiar work - this young virtuoso had a warm tone, confident presence and a real edge to her interpretation. The majestic themes were given assured, powerful articulation, and the audience were rightly rapturous in their reception of this impressive talent. Antoine Mitchell’s ESO, led by Keith Gurry, was inspired to give her brilliant support - their handling of the full-blown passion of the Brahms was much more successful than their rather tentative approach to the flirtatious fluff of Schubert’s Overture in the Italian Style, which, despite some impressive woodwind work, was ultimately unsatisfying.
After the interval, Mendelssohn’s sound picture of Scotland, in his Third Symphony, was played with commendable energy, and crisp contributions from the brass. Maestro Mitchell’s cohesive reading included a moving Adagio, the meditation of Mary Queen of Scots as she awaited execution.
Equally moving was an Elgar Elegy for the strings of the orchestra, played in memory of ESO founder member Michael Gough, who died in September.
Michael Gray
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