Appreciative Audience For National Orchestra

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28987, 31 August 1959, Page 15

Appreciative Audience For National Orchestra

The National Orchestra, directed by Mr John Hopkins and led by Mr Vincent Aspey, gave its last concert here for this year in the Civic Theatre on Saturday evening. The theatre was filled with a closely-attentive and most appreciative audience. There was much to hold the attention and to rouse appreciation, for we had a delightful programme played with all the sensitive and artistic insight which Mr Hopkins invariably brings to his interpretations. The orchestra is playing beautifully, and it is not surprising that the players and Mr Hopkins should have recently been given a tribute of high praise from Mr Josef Krips—one of the world’s foremost conductors. Mr Hopkins goes in a few weeks, on a short leave of absence, to conduct concerts in Europe and in England, and will then return to direct our orchestra for another term of Office. There can hardly be a doubt that the time is not far distant when we will all be astonished at our luck in having had Mr Hopkins as our conductor. I The programme began with Walton’s Partita for Orchestra. This is a recent composition. It had its first performance last year. The first of this suite of three pieces, “Brioso,” is a rollicking and swashbuckling piece, good-humoured and ready for any adventure. The second, “Pastorale Sicilian,” does not suggest a quiet countryside scene, but is a mysterious cloak and dagger job that says “Beware of dark strangers.” The last movement “Giga Burlesca,” does not at a first hearing, seem to come off as well as the other two. However, it has lots of life and good spirits: but anyone trying to dance a jig to it would probably break a leg. The work is scored for a large orchestra and Walton has used a broad canvas and splashed his colours on with a vivid attractiveness. Then came a glowing and highly-poetic performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor with Miss Use von Alpenheim as soloist She and the orchestra were in complete accord in interpreting, in all faithful detail, the effervescent freshness of charm and the lyric beauty of this glorious concerto. The phrasing was delicately shaped and poised, breathing life and happiness in every bar. Never for a moment did the music flag, nor was the atmosphere dulled by any lack of imagination. The orchestra caught the supple lilt of Miss von Alpenheim's playing, and in timbre, weight, and dynamic levels everything seemed absolutely right Miss von Alpenheim is richly endowed with musical talent. Technically her work in this performance was beyond question. Every note, even in the most intricate traceries, came with perfect clarity. Her clear playing and absolute accuracy soon became taken for granted, so splendidly was her playing controlled. What gave unqualified delight was the sheer beauty and refinement of nuance which brought every phrase elegantly to life. The music sparkled with merry glintings, murmured gently as a mountain brook and was given a broadly-glowing radiance with deft and enchanting turns of melting tenderness under the magic of her touch. It all seemed to happen easily, naturally, and inevitably: for everything she did came right from the core of the music itself. This was faithful and stylish playing, guided by a thorough understanding. It takes much more than clever fingers to get such a result To end this memorable concert we had a nobly planned and satisfying performance of Brahms’s Symphony No. 2 in J major. This was a further example of

Mr Hopkins’s sense of symphonic design in his interpretation. Grandeur and majesty swept forth in great piling of sound, but his feeling for reticence was also most important in this faithful revealing of the composer’s utterance. Perhaps, at times, the trombones were a little too hefty for the building and there was a roughness of tone, but there were many moments when their soft playing had delightful tone and balance. While it may be invidious to single out a player when all did so well, nevertheless, the work of the first horn is so important in this work that special thanks must be given to Mr Glen for the pleasure which his beautiful tone and expressive phrasing gave to us.