The Dome, Brighton, 1st March 2015
It may have been St David’s Day but the music on offer was distinctly northern European in Stephen Bell’s deft handling. The programme opened with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, gently hushed at the start but quickly finding its voice with controlled crescendi building to a brisk and business-like conclusion.
Tamsin Waley-Cohen was the soloist in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No 1. So regularly is this the No1 favourite on ClassicFM that it is possibly surprising how rarely it is actually performed live. A pity really for it is a fine work which easily outlives the possible problems of over popularity. Tamsin Waley-Cohen plays a 1721 Stradavarius and her tone was warm and appealing throughout. The second movement was lovingly phrased without ever seeming indulgent. The finale was fast paced and exhilarating, with exceptional clarity from the soloist. A pity we did not get an encore.
We were in much cooler climes after the interval with Sibelius’ First Symphony. Though the influence of Tchaikovsky is ever present the Finnish elements which were to dominate the rest of his symphonic output are there in equal measure. The soulful clarinet opening, the shimmering strings and crystal clear harp notes are all elements the composer would return to later, while the lush melodies would fade away as compositions became more astringent and crisply defined. Stephen Bell drove the work hard, the third movement being particularly edgy, with very clean ensemble even in passages which can easily fall apart. The final movement, even allowing for the more romantic second subject, looks towards Lemminkainen and the conclusion – two plucked notes – is entirely Sibelius.
A fine afternoon and a full house with many younger members of the audience – all very encouraging.
The final concert of the season on 22nd March sees the return of Barry Wordsworth with works by Lord Berners, Walton and Holst.