Jonathan Dodd shares his review of the latest Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra (IWSO) concert. Images with kind permission of Allan Marsh. Ed
On the evening of Saturday 20th January 2024, a large crowd of enthusiasts converged on the Medina Theatre for the second concert of the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra’s 2023-2024 programme.
Despite the cold January weather, practically every seat was taken, he auditorium was warm, and everyone’s faces were suffused with hope and expectation.
I always expect to be amazed
I am never sure how my concert evenings will go. I usually don’t know the music that’s going to be served up to me, and therefore I don’t know whether I’ll like it a lot or not terribly much, but I always expect to be amazed by the brilliance of every member of the orchestra, and their sheer hard work and dedication that gets them from all the corners of the Island, and perhaps over the water into their seats, with everything they need, and after all their dedicated work, not only in becoming such good musicians, but also in learning several pieces to play, and to play together, several times each year. And I have never been less than delighted with what they play, and the way they play it.
I’m sure there is also an army of people who turn up and support, and I salute them too. Thank you for doing what you do, and thank you for continuing to support and maintain the wonderful thing that is the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra.
Prince Igor
When the orchestra and audience were all settled down, and the lights dimmed, and the instruments perfectly tuned, the visiting conductor, James Thomas, entered and began the first piece, the Prince Igor Overture, by Alexander Borodin.
It has a strange history. Borodin started writing it in 1868, but hadn’t completed it by his death, in 1887. He hadn’t actually written down this overture, although he had played it once on piano to his good friend Alexander Glazunov, who completed Prince Igor the opera with Nikolai-Korsakov. Everyone should have such good friends.
The overture starts in a slow and dignified way, with the strings and trumpets establishing a quietly dramatic mood, before the horns lead the orchestra into a splendidly energetic tune, and the clarinet plays the theme, interspersed by the introduction of vivacious tunes that are to be part of the action when the opera properly starts. It was played in a vivacious way with great precision, culminating in an exciting climax, and got everyone in a good mood for the rest of the concert.
Somerset Rhapsody
Gustav was 32 in 1906 when his friend asked him to write a piece for his friend, who was giving a talk at the Bath Pump Rooms. He adapted three Somerset folk songs, Sheep Song, High Germany, and the Lover’s Farewell, introducing a narrative of a rustic scene, with two lovers, then the arrival of soldiers, and the young man enlisting, followed by the return of peace, but now inflected by the grief of the girl. Holst’s career developed after this.
The piece is simple, quiet, and very descriptive, and gives an idea of the major composer Holst was due to become. The IWSO played it crisply and clearly, with feeling and restraint, and it was delightful.
Rococo Variations
After a pause to rearrange themselves, the orchestra settled again, with space made for the Cello soloist, Finn Mannion, to play for us Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme.
Tchaikovsky never wrote a Cello Concerto, and this is as near as he got to it. The theme is simple, and rather elegant, and is introduced at the start, and followed by eight variations. All the variations follow on from one another, emphasising various moods, and playfully giving the soloist a variety of expressions to work through, giving him a full range of styles in which to demonstrate his skills.
Commanding attention
Mr Mannion was at all times playing precisely and fluently, and commanded our attention. The orchestra responded to the cello eagerly, and Mr Thomas was in compete control, attentive to the soloist as well as all the individual orchestra sections and players.
The cello has a lovely deep resonance, and can often produce in me a rather lovely sense of calm, perhaps because its voice is so rounded and full. I felt this on Saturday, and relaxed into the performance with all my senses, and was carried away by the loveliness of the sounds and the music and the understanding that the orchestra, conductor and soloist were performing as one.
It was lovely, and I shall remember it with affection for a long time. Thank you all.
Rachmaninov’s disaster turned into triumph
After the break, we were treated to a performance of Sergei Rachmaninov/s First Symphony, written in 1897. It was so badly received that Rachmaninov couldn’t compose for three years afterwards and suffered a nervous breakdown.
His original score was lost, and the piece disappeared until 1945, when it was reconstructed and performed in Moscow two years after Rachmaninov’s death. When Mr Thomas took to the podium and initiated the playing of this symphony, there was no sense of its troubled history. He was absolutely in charge and control, knowing exactly what he wanted from the orchestra, and getting it.
Stormy and challenging
The piece is stormy and challenging. The four movements are full of tempestuous themes and ideas, all swirling around, like a long conversation between two people with strong views, arguing back and forth but never finding a point of agreement.
The drama is in the movement of ideas and themes, and it felt to me like one long single piece, with a few breaks for a breather. But it was absolutely gripping, and not like any other symphony I have ever heard. I confess, after listening once, I can not remember any theme or tune, but I was powerfully struck by the sense of urgency that it conveyed, and I was carried along by this, as if in a river in flood, not being aware of where it had come from or where it was going.
Music I will return to
I was quite happy with this, and sat entranced by the whole thing, knowing that there was a great concentration of minds and expertise to bring it to me, and trusting the collective efforts of the orchestra to bring me to its conclusion safely and happily. I’m sorry I can’t be more precise, or give a clearer impression of the piece.
I shall return to this music many times in the future, and I’ll enjoy it every time, and I don’t even need to understand what it’s saying. I loved it.
Outstanding conductor
I thought the conductor Mr Thomas, was outstanding, and I thought every musician in the room gave it his or her all. I watched their faces after the applause had died down, and they all seemed quietly pleased with their efforts. I had a wonderful time, and I believe everyone in the packed auditorium probably felt the same. Thank you for another wonderful evening of musical prowess.
Thank you B. Blumenthal for the excellent programme notes, without which I would be lost.
Next concert
The next concert by he IWSO will take place on Saturday 16 March 2024 at 7:15pm at the Medina Theatre. There’s an interesting programme. Including as piece by Cesar Franck, called Le Chasseur Maudit, and George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F played by our favourite Viv McLean.
I’m really looking forward to that. Then there’s the Othello Suite by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Til Eulenspiegel by Richard Strauss. That should be lively, and I shall look forward to it all.
Get your tickets ASAP, or even better, buy season tickets. Every little helps, and you’ll always know where your seats are.
See you there!
