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