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New
World
at the Sheldonian on Saturday
5th February
There's
nothing like a double concerto by a well-loved nineteenth century
composer, and two comparatively young soloists, to draw the masses-and
masses there were at the City of Oxford Orchestra's concert on Saturday
night. First up was the well-known Hebrides Overture by Mendelssohn.
Duncan Hinnells-newly appointed COO's associate conductor-is a welcome
addition to the professional orchestra, and even his entrance into
the theatre, baton hardly yet raised, exuded confidence.
The turmoil of tickets and seating subsided with the first turn of
the beautiful rolling motive. A well-rehearsed, polished performance
ensued. The Brahms Concerto for Violin and Cello Op. 102 was
simply electrifying. Priya Mitchell and Natalie Clein, Saturday's
violin and cello soloists respectively, held the audience spellbound.
Both are highly accomplished players of rising international stardom;
in the Brahms each complemented the other perfectly, sometimes in
dialogue, other times in opposition. The orchestra provided strong,
lush support, not once overwhelming the soloists. If only going on
levels of applause, this was a truly consummate performance.
The audience was then treated to another great work: Dvorak's Symphony
No 9 in E minor From the New World. How welcome it is to see an
augmented COO, and to hear a brassy, loud, symphonic masterpiece.
Despite some awkward tuning by an exposed soloist in the Largo, the
performance was thrilling, the excitement tangible. Hinnells led his
forces with verve. The orchestra responded in style. Large-scale orchestral
works are costly to mount, but audience numbers seem to rise in proportion.
Let's hope we see more of the symphonic tradition with the COO.
Thursday 24th February is COO's February Fanfare and an all-Baroque
favourites line-up. If the popularity - and the quality - of Saturday's
concert is anything to go by, it would be well worth buying your ticket
in advance.
SCMS
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