June 17th 2011
Orchestra of the Swan, at Birmingham Town Hall
Orchestra of the Swan’s final concert for this season at Birmingham Town Hall was quite an occasion, with an absolute full house to hear Julian Lloyd Webber, OOTS’ current Associate Artist, play one of his signature works, the Cello Concerto by Elgar.
Spirits hovered in the air, as the Concerto was part of the first-ever concert given by the CBSO here, Elgar himself conducting, but I think this present performance would have been markedly different from that probably grand rendition.
Lloyd Webber here shared in what was a heartwarmingly chamber-music collaboration with David Curtis’ orchestra, always alert to what the orchestral musicians were contributing, seamless in unisons, and phrasing with telling delicacy.
Tempi were bravely reined-back for the soloist’s sometimes hesitant, sometimes reluctant, gloriously beatific utterances. This could have been a mere run-through; soloist, conductor and orchestra ensured that it wasn’t.
Vaughan Williams’ Wasps Overture, buzzingly alert, and with such noble horns, could perhaps have been balanced more judiciously in its concluding counterpoint, but Brahms’ Second Symphony, some tiny imprecisions of ensemble aside, was a total delight.
This was a “green” reading of this pastoral symphony, warm, organic in its growth, heroic strings caressing eloquent wind solos. And Curtis’ meticulous rehearsal, on very little time, certainly paid dividends.
Rating * * * *
By Christopher Morley
