Harry Lai, Settle Orchestra’s conductor for this year, guided the group through a vigorous and exciting programme for its spring concerts, which took place in Settle on March 22nd, and in Skipton on 29th.
The programme began with Sibelius’s Finlandia, a wonderful work, written in 1899, that reflects the struggles of Finland to gain independence from Russia. The playing at the opening was excellent, with a wonderful sound from the brass and woodwind sections, followed by great warmth from the strings. Harry showed his musical skill by emphasising the contrasting emotions in the work, resulting in a most enjoyable performance, with the different sections of the orchestra demonstrating considerable skills..
Next we were treated to a little known work by Dvorak, The Noon Witch. This tells a sinister story, of an infant perceived to be misbehaving and being threatened with a visit from the Noon Witch, who does indeed appear, with tragic consequences. Throughout the performance the orchestra thoroughly captured the spirit of the music in, tight rhythms, expressive phrasing and a great feeing of drive. Special mention must go to the oboe soloist who played with exceptional musicianship. With its variations in tempo and contrasting dynamics this is a difficult work and we heard it played very well, thanks to the extraordinary talent of the conductor.
After the interval came Tchaikovsky’s Symphony number 5. This is a big work and to take it on with relatively small string section is a challenge and on this occasion it was hard to believe that the orchestra has only 15 violins, three violas and three cellos. Credit for this must go to the orchestra’s talented and hugely popular leader, Anne Heaton.
This was altogether a skilful performance and Harry never seemed to lose sight of the work’s architecture as he guided the players on Tchaikovsky’s musical journey. The opening could have had a little more rhythmic precision, but it can take a few bars to get into the stride in such a massive work, and the players soon settled in. The hauntingly beautiful horn solo at the start of the slow movement was immaculately played by first horn, Ewan Hudson, who not only made a lovely sound but captured in his phrasing the intense emotional content of the music. (In the summer concerts he will be soloist in Weber’s Concertino for horn and orchestra). All the sections of the orchestra seemed completely immersed in this performance, with focus and attention to detail. Harry was in complete command and the players responded magnificently. His – and their – musicianship quite simply shone.
This was one of the best Settle orchestra concerts I have heard. It was a feat of great skill to perform such a challenging programme and, although I rarely use the word, on this occasion I feel safe to say that the playing was phenomenal. The players are very fortunate to have such a talented conductor this year. Harry has a natural and deep understanding of the music as well as the technical skills to bring out the best in the players. The summer concerts are not to be missed and they take place on June 21st in Settle and 28th in Skipton.
Lindy Williams
