The opening concert of Shropshire Music Trust's new season was provided by The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. This superb ensemble showed us instantly why they have such a world-wide reputation; their ensemble playing is impeccable, their collective sound light yet, when needed, gloriously rich. Elgar's Serenade for strings and Finzi's Romance in E flat opened the event; both were fine vehicles for the orchestra, especially the double bass and two cellos who helped realise the beautiful, melancholy character of the music.
Unusually, the programme included two symphonies by Mozart. No. 17 in G was written when he was 15! It's a jolly romp by a talented teenager which pre-echoes many of his mature works. By contrast, No 29 in A is the first flowering of Mozart's genius-and this had to wait until he was 17!
The development from one symphony to the next is miraculous; each work received a meticulous performance; a light touch in No.17, emphasising the violins whereas No 29, with some breath-taking virtuosity from the violins, displayed the gravitas of some of his later, ground-breaking compositions.
"The Death of Falstaff" and "Touch Her Soft Lips and Part", from William Walton's music for Laurence Olivier's film of Henry V received a wonderful performance in which the lower strings played with a ravishing warmth. This is film music at its very finest, music that has its own existence beyond the film.
A wonderful concert, a great start to a new season.
The Music Trust's next concert is Sunday 6th November at Concord College at 3.30 when the artists will be The Innovation Ensemble.
Andrew Petch