West London Sinfonia – Review of our 50th anniversary concert
15th October 2022 at St John’s Smith Square (now Sinfonia Smith Square) SW1
- Steve Block: Fanfare for Time
- Kabalevsky: Overture Colas Breugnon
- Barbara Thompson: Concerto for 3 saxophones (soloist Jonathan Radford)
- Holst: The Planets
The concert was introduced by Iwona Boesche from her leader’s position on the stage. She highlighted the significance of the anniversary evening (postponed for two years due to Covid) and also highlighted the fact that some of the original WLS members were performing this evening. She then welcomed Steve Block, the founder of WLS, to conduct the opening fanfare Fanfare for Time he had originally composed for the 10th anniversary of the orchestra.
The fanfare, whilst giving prominence to the brass section, also gave opportunities for all the orchestra to shine with the themes being passed around the sections. Highlights included the beautiful timbres for flute and harp, the antiphonal trumpets, and the strings enjoying their lush melodies. The work ended quietly and serenely depicting the eternal span of the universe as referenced in Steve Block’s programme notes.
Kabalevsky’s Overture to Colas Breugnon depicts the main character of his 1938 opera based on a comic novel by Romaine Rolland. It is a tuneful and rhythmic work involving a battery of percussion! Pairs of instruments take it in turns to play the themes and this was occasionally challenging for intonation but in general the orchestra created the playful character of the music well.
It was a privilege to welcome Barbara Thompson’s daughter Ana Gracey to the stage to pay tribute to her mother and introduce the Concerto for Three Saxophones. Barbara Thompson wrote the work for herself in 1988; she knew that it was going to be performed by WLS but sadly couldn’t be here as she died in July 2022 after a long illness with Parkinson’s.
The concerto is a unique work for the saxophone canon as it features a different instrument in each movement (alto sax, tenor sax and soprano sax respectively). The soloist is prominent throughout with virtuoso writing that brings out the character of the three instruments whilst involving the orchestra in sharing the individual moods of the movements and the themes that are passed around. The conductor Philip Hesketh was very attentive to the ensemble between orchestra and soloist and in general the balance was good. Jonathan Radford was a fine choice as soloist and gave a stellar interpretation of the work, really conveying the atmosphere of each movement and the particular characteristics of each saxophone.
After the interval, we were treated to a performance of Holst The Planets, the only work on the programme I had heard previously. This is an epic work requiring huge forces including organ, two harps, a large array of percussion and brass and some unusual instruments such as bass oboe and alto flute. Holst creates magical effects with these forces that test the orchestra to the full and WLS certainly rose to the occasion. The seven movements demand soloistic playing from the principal players, deft rhythmic ensemble and often subtle changes of mood and nuance. There were many highlights in this performance and I can mention a couple that stood out for me: the beautiful horn solo in Venus; the alto flute, harp and bass oboe opening of Saturn with the tubular bells; the tremendous build-up of military style rhythms in Uranus ending with quiet contemplation at the end of the movement; and the ethereal voices in Neptune with the choirs of female voices positioned on either side of the balcony at St John’s Smith Square.
In general the performance felt triumphant and evocative, capturing the ‘personality’ of each planet in Holst’s depictions. Congratulations to Philip Hesketh and all the players and singers.
Review by Marion Friend MBE, arts consultant and coach.
www.marionfriend.co.uk
