Chamber orchestra

Press, 29 June 1987, Page 4

Chamber orchestra

Amici Chamber Orchestra, conducted by John Pattinson, at the Great Hall, Arts Centre, June 28, 7.39 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman.

The highlight of last evening’s recital by the Amici Chamber Orchestra was undoubtedly the performance of Wagner’s "Wesendonck Lieder.” Under the baton of John Pattinson, the orchestra offered admirable support for a sensitively wrought delivery of the solo line by the mezzo-soprano, Judy Bellingham. Her interpretation of the songs was characterised by a clear tone, an effortless projection and a commendable 1 sense of drama. Each of the five songs was tinted with an individual emotional hue, an achievement helped sustain the inten-1 sity of the highly express

sive score. In a song such as “Agonies,” and in the climactic passage to “Stand Still!”, an impressive vocal power was unleashed in contrast with this, "Dreams,” “The Angel,” and “In the Greenhouse” succeeded by virtue of the fine control of the vocal dynamics. This arresting delivery of the Wagner lieder helped revive interest in the proceedings that had all but waned during the opening item, Mozart’s Serenade for 13 instruments, K. 361. The performance of this plodding 50 minute composition was, alas, further weighed down by heavy-footed rhythms, ponderous tempi and generally ragged ensemble work.

On the positive side, there were some tidy individual contributions,

most notably from the pairs of oboes and clarinets and from the double bass. However, these were not sufficient to combat the aural fatigue that set in by mid-way through the seven-movement suite.

The last item on the programme, Poulenc’s “Sinfonietta,” though marked by a smattering of loose rhythms and mispitchings, succeeded in sustaining attention because of the vigorous attack and hearty spirit of the orchestral sound.

Poulenc’s mischievous wit was zestfully reflected in all three of the fastpulsed movements. The third movement, Andante cantabile, though losing direction on occasion, was motivated by a beguiling tone &nd a pleasing exploration of softer dynamics.