Inspirational Performance
Lakeland Sinfonia
Saturday 2nd November 2024
Once again, the Lakeland Sinfonia’s matinee concert on Saturday November 2nd in Kendal Parish Church proved what a treasure the orchestra is and how fortunate we are to have such a fine band of musicians here in South Lakeland. The players enjoy a close rapport with visiting conductor Wyn Davies. Wyn is inspirational in his direction and steered the orchestra carefully through stylish performances of two relatively unknown early Haydn symphonies and two more well-known works from the standard repertoire: Fauré’s Pavane and Rossini’s Silken Ladder Overture.
Again, as in previous concerts, the woodwind players distinguished themselves. The opening flute solo of the Pavane was beautifully played; likewise the oboe solo in the Silken Ladder overture, with the whole section negotiating the rapid passage work in this work with apparent ease. The string playing throughout the afternoon was polished without any sense of diffidence or uncertainty. Wyn Davies’ direction was of course exemplary, his gestures clearly indicating what he wanted. One example was his direction of the Haydn’s Symphony No. 77 when he gave a lovely Viennese lilt to the Trio section.
Guest soprano, Mary Plazas, is a commanding presence on the concert platform and delivered Haydn’s Scena di Berenice and Mozart’s Concert Aria Ch’io mi scordi di te with a great sense of drama, using her hands and facial gestures as well as her voice to convey meaning and express the varying nuances of the text. A church without raked seating is not the ideal setting for these two very operatic arias but hopefully their impact would be felt at the back. The two works placed additional demands on the orchestra: accompanying a singer in recitatives is not an everyday requirement of orchestral players but under Wyn Davies’ careful direction they provided a firm accompaniment with Wyn doubling as both director and solo pianist in the case of the Mozart.
After a spirited performance of the Silken Ladder Overture, when we thought the concert had come to an end, Wyn Davies and Mary Plazas returned to the platform to perform Ravel’s sensuous Vocalise, with its seductive haberna rhythm. Perhaps this was a reward for the players for all their hard work as well as enabling us to enjoy further the work of two fine professional musicians. In spite a rather cool church, this was another concert to remember.
Clive Walkley
