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Professional Aspirations
Last Saturday’s concert in Guildford’s Electric Theatre, given by the Surrey Mozart Players, was a remarkable success, especially for so early in the concert season. Conductor Kenneth Woods had clearly drilled his players towards professional aspirations. Minor flaws in ensemble were commendable few and soon forgotten.The centrepiece was Bruch’s Violin Concerto No 1. Visa problems had prevented soloist Ziang Gao from coming across from the US, but it was most fortunate that Alexandra Wood was able to step in at short notice. Her consummate authority was displayed with remarkable ease. Especially notable were her beautiful tone and phrasing in the central slow movement and her confident verve in the finale.Mozart’s Symphony No 34 in C major, composed in Salzburg just before his final decade in Vienna, was an attractive opening to the concert. The slow movement settled happily after a slightly uncertain start, whilst the outer movements sparkled with ambitious tempi, well maintained.Beethoven’s epoch-making Eroica Symphony was given an impressive, coherent reading. Such a monumental work would always be testing for such an orchestra as this, but the players rose to its challenges with a remarkable degree of success.The intimacy of the Electric Theatre, filled to capacity, proved congenial for this event, and the conductor’s informative introductions to each work were most welcome – more communicative than the somewhat prosaic programme notes.
Sebastian Forbes - Surrey Advertiser 10/10/2010 |
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