THE ADVERTISER, MAY 18, 2001
Impressionistic music making
MENDELSSOHN’S
Overture: The Hebrides,
Rachmaninov’s
Piano
Concerto No. 2, and
Vaughan Williams’ 4 Sea
Symphony, made a most
melodious and attractive
programme for Guildford
Philharmonic
Choir’s
concert at the cathedral
on Saturday.
The whole effect was
impressionistic, because
however precise the articulation of vocals and
instruments, the acoustic
of the cathedral with its
towering chancel arch
and nave softens the
sound, eddying it around
and subtly changing the
feel of a performance.
String detail was lost in
the overture, but the
woodwind came across
with bell-like clarity and
the piece worked well, the
descriptive writing for
the swell of the sea fitting in nicely with the
atmosphere.
The Rachmaninov was
a strange choice for the
cathedral, and the logic
only clicked when the programme notes revealed
that it was included in the
programme for the premier of A4 Sea Symphony
in 1910.
It was impossible to tell
how well Jeremy Filsell
interpreted
the
work
because again the definition was lost in the
orchestra and cathedral
vastness. But the piano
role here is orchestral
rather than solo, so this is
probably the best choice
of piano concerto for the
cathedral. It was a different sound from a normal
concert hall performance,
but the music was still
wonderful.
A Sea Symphony is
magical too, and it was
great to hear the philharmonic produce a really
fine soprano line, with
excellent
intonation.
Diction was hazy, but the
tone
was
sweet
and
soloists Caroline LentonWard and Robert Rice
had nicely complementaTy voices.
Jane Garrett