Review - Wednesday 30th November 2011 in the Alington Hall, Shrewsbury School

A large audience turned up at the Alington Hall of Shrewsbury School to support the latest concert by Shrewsbury Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra continues to impress, not just with its quality but also in its ambitious programming. Works by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius  appeared in both halves of the concert. The single-movement 7th symphony of 1924  is a difficult piece for both orchestra and audience, as it lacks  traditional formal design and demands great concentration. There were some tentative moments but conductor John Moore achieved  fluency in the development of  the thematic fragments on  which the work is constructed. The Karelia suite was much more assured, with the brass section delivering its fanfare-like passages with relish and allowing  the audience to enjoy the familiar melodies of this appealing score. 

Local trumpeter Wendy Jones was the soloist in the concerto by the Armenian composer Alexander Arutunian and the work’s contrasting moods were captured  sensitively in a polished and absorbing  performance.

The concert ended with Schumann’s ‘Spring’ symphony, which produced some of the most confident playing of the evening, notably in the last two movements which were purposeful and stylish. Thoughts of springtime were particularly welcome on this damp November evening.  John Moore conducted with his customary musical insight, displaying  secure control of the large forces that this programme required.   

© Bob Wysome (reproduced by kind permission)