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Past News ....Launch Concert a Sell Out ! Our
Lady of The Wayside Church in Shirley was packed to capacity with
over 400 music lovers for the Launch Concert of Solihull Symphony Orchestra
last Saturday evening (12 March) which featured Beethoven's monumental
9th "Choral" Symphony, for which the orchestra was joined
by The Hampton Singers. The evening started
with the less well-known Crusell Clarinet Concerto, with Victoria
Rex as the soloist. It was a polished and lyrical performance,
with a well balanced orchestral accompaniment, especially in the slow
movement. Victoria is Head of Music at Hall Green School The orchestra tackled the monumental symphony with both determination and enthusiasm. Although some of the more delicate passages were a little fragile, and the relentless speed demanded by both composer and conductor caused a few hiccups, the overall effect was still very impressive. The choral finale, "Ode to Joy" showed the Hampton Singers in good voice, and the four young soloists gave outstanding performances. Elisabeth Toye (soprano) and Caroline Amneus (mezzo) both studied at Birmingham Conservatoire, while Gareth John (tenor) is at the Guildhall School of Music, and Armin Zanner (bass) originally read Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge. It is measure of how far the orchestra (formerly Knowle Sinfonia) has come in three years under Martin Leigh's leadership that the concert was such a success.
As
one audience member commented, "Not even a limited view from the
back of the balcony, wooden primary school chairs, the audible
ventilation system, nor difficult parking dampened my enjoyment" 14 March 2005 |
Press CoverageSolihull and Warwickshire Gazette March 2005
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| www.solihullsymphony.org.uk |
