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Cheerful Rossini is a good, warm antidote when the weather\u2019s wintry and we\u2019ve just, two hours earlier, heard yet another alarming Covid press briefing. Brian Wright packed The Italian Girl in Algiers<\/em> with all the fun and wit it cries out for especially through precise pizzicato, well controlled Rossini trademark accelerando passages and some lovely flute solo work (bravo principal flute, Anna Binney)<\/p>\n Then came the quiet modesty of Oliver Stankiewicz with Mozart\u2019s Oboe concerto<\/em> \u2013 we hear the flute version more often but, actually, it was written first for the oboe. Stankiewicz, principal oboe with London Symphony Orchestra and with a flourishing parallel solo career, enchanted an MSO audience four years ago with the Strauss concerto so it was a treat to see him back.<\/p>\n I loved his incisive creaminess of tone, especially in the adagio \u2013 one of Mozart\u2019s many exquisite slow movements. In contrast he gave us lots of cheerful perkiness in the concluding rondo. His circular breathing is so fascinating to watch, that it\u2019s almost a distraction particularly in his encore: two short movements (Pan and Arethusa) from Britten\u2019s Metamorphoses.<\/p>\n In many ways, however, the most interesting work came after the interval in the shape of Brahms Serenade No 1<\/em>, a substantial forty minute work. It\u2019s very familiar from recordings and radio. But I had never heard it live before and Brian Wright told the audience that, at 75, this was the first time he\u2019d ever conducted it in public. Perhaps because it has six movements, not thematically linked, it doesn\u2019t feel like a symphony. Or maybe it\u2019s because it explores different styles as it goes along. Either way it doesn\u2019t get many outings. And it should.<\/p>\n It was, therefore, a real pleasure to hear MSO helping to put that right. The performance took a while to settle. I\u2019m guessing most players hadn\u2019t played it before. The most striking thing about the opening allegro was the pleasing work \u2013 rich and tuneful \u2013 from lower strings and although, it was arguably a bit understated, I liked the way the dance rhythms in the first scherzo were played. Then in the very \u201cBrahmsian\u201d central andante we got some gloriously strong sound from brass and woodwind although the upper string interjections were a bit wispy. The finest moment, for me, was the chirpy oboe (David Montague) and bassoon (Philip Le Bas) duet in the minuet before the work sauntered off to give us a vibrant second scherzo and a resounding Rondo allegro to finish.<\/p>\n Give it a couple of years, MSO, and then play it again, please. We need to hear this interesting piece more often<\/p>\n Susan Elkin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cheerful Rossini is a good, warm antidote when the weather\u2019s wintry and we\u2019ve just, two hours earlier, heard yet another alarming Covid press briefing. Brian Wright packed The Italian Girl in Algiers with all the fun and wit it cries … Continue reading