Right blend
of sound and vision for concert
Wednesday,
19th May 2004
(Article published with kind permission of Northeast Press
Limited,
Sunderland Echo)
REVIEW
by Roy Horabin
LOVERS of
light classical music were well catered for at Sunderland Symphony
Orchestra's latest concert.
The account
of Rossini's William Tell Overture was commendable for the warmth of the
opening and pastoral section ‑ also the excitement generated by the final
gallop.
Teresa
Magnowska, making a first concert appearance in Sunderland chose Art Thou
Troubled (Handel) and What is Life? (Gluck) to display the refined quality
of her mezzo‑soprano voice.
Conductor
Rupert Hanson then set just the right tempo for Herold's witty Clog Dance,
having invited the audience to join in with some rhythmic foot‑tapping.
An
intermezzo, entitled The Young Prince And Princess, from Scheherazade,
brought a complete change of atmosphere. The music presents technical
challenges, and while these were coped with efficiently, they were not
without lapses in precision.
A further
work by Rimsky Korsakov, Spanish Caprice, has been a favourite of mine
since I played it at military band concerts during the war. In this
colourful performance, the solo violin and woodwind added artistic
touches. The brass were impressive too.
Teresa's next
group of arias, by Saint‑Saëns and Donizetti, made considerable impact,
especially her presentation of the more dramatic passages. Afterwards, she
graciously acknowledged the orchestra's support.
Other
well‑varied pieces, including March To The Scaffold, Skater’s Waltz and
Farandole, were confidently played with attention to detail and were
mainly well‑polished.
The piece de
resistance, however, was Finlandia. We were treated to an expansive
reading in which the grand tune, with its patriotic dignity, sounded
splendid.
There is no
doubt that Rupert got the ideal formula for this, the 10th concert
since the orchestra's inception.
Sunderland
Symphony Orchestra; West Park Church, Sunderland.
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