The Deeside Orchestra
Summer Concert
Friday 14 May 2010
A
big ‘Bravo’ for Deeside Orchestra
The Deeside Orchestra
demonstrated their musical progress and prowess in their Summer Concert in
the Aboyne Theatre last Friday. In recent years they have matured into a
very good amateur orchestra.
The most difficult
music to play successfully is slow, quiet music. And for any performer, the
first piece is the most nerve-racking as one gets into one’s musical stride.
The concert commenced with Nicolai’s Overture to the Merry Wives of Windsor,
a bright bubbly piece but one which commences with a slow quiet evocation of
moonlight. The orchestra took the first minute to find its musical feet,
but once the piece developed into a bright tuneful piece (more reminiscent
of the repertoire in the Orchestra’s famous Viennese Evenings), the
confidence settled in.
The main piece in the
first half was Mozart’s K488 Piano Concerto in A major, with the inestimable
Donald Hawksworth as soloist, playing the Aboyne Bechstein grand piano. The
first movement was generally sunny with Mozart’s occasional melancholic
touches ably handled by all. The slow second movement allowed the orchestra
to show their ability at bringing out the different voices and sections in
the ensemble to compliment the soloist who dazzled in the final Presto
movement.
Before the interval we
were treated to a performance of Fauré’s Pavane. The haunting flute solo
was longingly delivered by Mary Holt floating over pizzicato strings.
The second half
commenced with the Symphony Number 1 by Beethoven. A meaty, well known
piece, which reflects the composer’s musical past but reveals his own
development. The piece starts with a twelve bar sequence of chords in the
‘wrong’ key, eventually revealing the real key of the symphony (C major),
while the finale opens with a set of partial scales played slowly before
turning to a C-major scale to mark the real start of the boisterous allegro.
The full orchestra, well into its stride by now, delivered a robust and well
balanced performance with good interplay of the string and wind sections,
and strong bass and brass lines with the percussionist adding ably to the
drama.
Jay Ungar’s piece
Ashokan Farewell has become a popular musical item (number 19 in the Classic
FM Hall of Fame top 300). Composed in 1982 as a waltz after the close of
the summer Fiddle and Dance Camps at Ashokan in the Catskill Mountains, it
is often thought of as a Scottish tune. It has become equally at home on a
wide variety of instruments, including the bagpipes. This orchestral
version commenced with a statement of the main theme played with feeling by
Andy Linklater, which was then taken up by a duet of violin and cello,
subsequently bringing in a viola and additional strings until we were
treated to a string band version. This expanded further to incorporate the
wind section, and eventually the brass and percussion, before winding down
to a reprise of the main theme.
If we thought that was
a real treat, the orchestra surprised us with a complete change of style by
finishing with a selection from the musical ‘Chicago’ by John Kandler. This
was a real gem of a finale with the whole orchestra appearing to let their
hair down and enjoy being a bit less ‘serious’. The swing and syncopation
had the audience swaying in their seats and provided an uplifting and
energetic end to the programme. The orchestra took their bow to well
deserved calls of ‘Bravo’ from the audience.
The orchestra has
developed into a real local treasure. That a relatively small local
population can supply such a range of talented amateur musicians is
remarkable. It was heartening to see such a range of ages in the orchestra
from 9-year old Euan McGowan to the evergreen ‘over 21’ Andy Linklater.
This bodes well for the future. That they can all devote their spare time
and considerable effort in individual practice and joint rehearsal is highly
commendable. The conductor, Glynn Hesketh, and the leader, Richard Clark,
have got the band well-drilled. Good starts and finishes are key to
delivering a good musical performance and the orchestra was obviously well
rehearsed, with good entrances and particularly good endings, as well as
good dynamics, contributing to an enjoyable performance. The work of all the
orchestra members shows in the development of quality of their own music and
in the collective musical experience the orchestra delivers. In this
programme they showcased their ability to perform a wide variety of music
successfully. They have advanced their marker again. Congratulations all.
Keep it up.
Oh – and the liquids
and solids provided afterwards gave us all an opportunity to meet the
orchestra members as they wound down from their ‘high’ of completing a
successful performance and we, the audience, from the ‘high’ of truly
enjoying it. The whole evening was a real success. Definitely ‘Bravo’.
Bob Naylor
