Jonathan Dodd shares his review of the latest Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra (IWSO) concert. Images with kind permission of Allan Marsh. Ed
The Saturday before last I went to the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra concert at Medina Theatre. It wasn’t a pleasant night, with January gales and driving rain lashing the car park, but the concert was packed out again, with eager faces expecting great things, and nobody was disappointed.
There were only three pieces in the programme this time. A March by John Ireland, Shostakovich’s First Symphony, and the delightful Elgar Violin Concerto, each, in its own way, an epic piece. The conductor, as always, was Jonathan Butcher, fresh from his televisual triumph extolling the talents of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor on Michael Portillo’s recent Great Train Journey programme.
Stimulate the production of patriotic music
During the Second World War, extraordinary efforts were made by people on all walks of life to help the war effort. In 1940 The Ministry of Information asked Adrian Boult to ‘stimulate the production of patriotic music’, and John Ireland agreed to write a March. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with the commission, so her called it an Epic March, and intended it to ‘concern some heroic action … of deep and lasting significance in the history of the nation’.
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It opened at the Proms in 1942, and took its place in the list of marches that helped keep up the spirits of the population through the war. It hasn’t been played so often since, but on Saturday the orchestra gave it a thrilling vigour, the brass particularly on good fanfare form, and it was energetic and stirring, and a particularly spirit-lifting start to the concert.
Surprised by this First Symphony
Next was a Symphony by Shostakovich. I have always liked Shostakovich’s music, but I’ve struggled with his Symphonies. I love the Jazz Suite, and various other shorter pieces. I’ve always been aware that he was prolific, and got into terrible trouble with Stalin, and that he wrote 15 Symphonies, and I was not expecting to be surprised by this First Symphony. But I was.
The thing I didn’t realise was that he wrote this when he was 18, and it was written as an exercise for his graduation at the Conservatory. It literally jump-started his career, becoming very popular very quickly, and it isn’t like those heavy Soviet Symphonies at all. It’s light, and it plays with the melodies in interesting ways. No piece of the tune was played by one single instrument. The tunes were tossed about seamlessly in short bursts between parts of the orchestra, like driftwood on a choppy sea, but they could always be heard right through, even though it was difficult to keep track of who was playing which bit when it changed so rapidly.
It must have been incredibly difficult to play, as everything swirled and eddied, and I don’t know how anyone managed to keep up. But the orchestra were wonderful, and they took this adolescent’s exercise in brilliant writing and performed it in a magical way. I wanted them to start all over again, I was so entranced. I have a feeling nobody would have thanked me. I sensed that the orchestra was in great need of a well-earned break after all that effort. I loved it, and I’m going to get hold of it and listen again.
Another 18-year-old
After the interval, we were informed that the original violin soloist for Elgar’s Violin Concerto, Melina Mandozzi, was unable to perform because of a wrist injury, and that she was being replaced at short notice by Charlie Lovell-Jones, another 18-year-old. We were promised that we wouldn’t be disappointed, and we weren’t.
I’ve always loved Elgar’s Cello Concerto, but I haven’t heard his Violin Concerto so much, and I was looking forward to hearing it live for the first time. It’s full of the same kind of lush orchestration and glorious tunes, and it’s as fully mature as the Cello Concerto. It’s also very long, and very difficult for the violinist because of the requirement to play with passion, and the long periods of concentration required to perform it.
There was never any doubt that this was going to be a marvellous performance from the first moment Mr Lovell-Jones entered the auditorium and took his place in front of the orchestra. He gave the immediate impression of someone who is completely confident and knows exactly what he’s going to do, and expects to produce something extraordinary. He never wavered, and he was outstanding. He had the orchestra and the audience in the palm of his hand throughout. The quality and clarity of his playing was so exquisite that I completely lost track of the time passing, or how well the orchestra was performing. It felt as if Charlie and every musician was breathing at the same time, and their heartbeats were synchronised.
It was an Event, rather than a concert
I apologised to individual members of the orchestra for not being able to single anyone out. I was just mesmerised, and that can only happen when everyone is completely in accord. As far as I’m concerned, it was an Event, rather than a concert. It was beautiful, and wonderful, and I’ll always remember it.
After the applause finally died down, and the bows and the tributes were over, Charlie Lovell-Jones came back out and performed a fiercely difficult solo piece by Paganini, and that was incredible too. I feel sure that he’s going to go on and have a stellar career, and he will achieve truly great things, and I’m intensely grateful that I was able to witness this moment. Thank you.
My favourite Norwegian Dances
The next concert will be on Saturday 17th March, and will feature one of my favourite things – the Norwegian Dances, by Grieg, and the Cello Concerto by Walton, and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8.
I expect it’ll be packed out again, because the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra deserves to be witnessed, not just for their immensely hard work, but also for their musical excellence.
I‘ll certainly be there. I hope to see you then.
