New Bristol Sinfonia - Reviews

Programme captured the imagination  Published in the Bristol Evening Post, 22nd November 2010

New Bristol Sinfonia: Victoria Rooms.

THIS orchestra always presents imaginative programmes, and Saturday night's was no exception.

Ravel's Mother Goose suite was originally for a piano duet for two children aged six and seven.

The orchestral version has a soft opening in the Pavane where the solo violin has an important part to play. There follows the Tom Thumb section where there is an effective description of the thieving birds in the score and the contra – bassoon growls menacingly as the Beast encounters the Princess. There was rapt string playing at the start of Le Jardin Feerique and this Mahlerian-style slow movement was exquisitely performed.

Jake Spence presented the first English performance of his Following Paths, Finding Gateways (there had already been two in Scotland). There is an important part for solo violin at the beginning (ably played by leader Mark Bunker) and all sections are soon used with some unusual harmonies, some rather discordant, being introduced.

There was both a powerful and sensitive rendition of the popular New World Symphony with some smooth playing by the superb string section while the horns were particularly impressive especially in the finale. The wistful Largo was movingly played on the Cor Anglais by Marc Horobin. James Lowe, conducting without a score, certainly put new life into the old warhorse in an incredibly mature performance.

8/10

JOHN PACKWOOD

Concert was held on Saturday 20th November 2010 - archived information can be viewed here.