Review Amici Orchestra

Press, 27 February 1989, Page 10

Review Amici Orchestra

Amici Chamber Orchestra conducted by John Pattinson, in the Great Hall, Arts Centre, February 26 at 7.30 p.m. Reviewed by Paul Goodson. Regular supporters of the Amici Orchestra have become pleasantly accustomed to programmes which invariably include at least one out-of-the-ordinary — usually twentieth-century — chamber work. To that extent Sunday’s concert was a departure from the norm. Arnold’s unassuming but euphonious Sinfonietta was the only intruder in an otherwise wholly eighteenth-century bill of fare. Programming of this nature holds inherent perils for any amateur body. The scoring of the opening Haydn Symphony No. 47, for instance, provides little cover for what proved to be consistent horn blemishes throughout the evening. x Individual instrumental lines are, in fact very exposed in all music of this i period. With a large violin complement Vthan is appropriate to the size of the other sections, ascending climactic gsweeps tended to overpower, while the Sfricky bowing of the Presto finale brought its own set of difficulties. ’ But here as in the following Bach concerto, the conductor set brisk tempi Which kept the over-all momentum going, even when textures became scrambled or stodgy. _ j : Whe pairing of Jan Tawroszewicz and Richard Panting as soloists in Bachs Double Violin Concerto proved successfS: despite their different playing styles, has the brighter toned

instrument, and brings greater inflections and more incisive bowing to his part. But this expresiveness proved a good foil to Panting’s more sinewy sound, which meshed in with the orchestra’s fairly stolid accompaniments. The central Largo is one of the loveliest examples of creative melodic interchange ever penned by Bach. Here greater phrasal flexibility and cleaner lines from accompanying strings would have brought out the contrapuntal exchanges more clearly. The busier textures of the two outer movements suited the players better, however, and with determined paces set and maintained by conductor and soloists, the work forged vigorously ahead. Panting returned as soloist in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, which is a much more substantial work than either K. 207 or K. 211. His disciplined approach and accurate finger work brought fluency to the high-lying solo lines, though greater dynamic shading and warmth would have imparted a more subtle contrast to the two main themes of the Andante.

Malcolm Arnold’s Sinfonietta with its bucoloic, open-air flavour, was an appropriate choice for this orchestra. The piecemeal textures and quirky melodic and rhythmic turns which kept the players on their toes, were negotiated with a fair degree of freshness and buoyancy. As consistently large audiences attend Amici performances, it would be helpful to employ one more door person on the night to avoid late starts.