Review of Airedale Symphony Orchestra at King's Hall in Ilkley

ROADS, railways and bridges flooded, trains cancelled, bus services cancelled! The presence of such a large audience, let alone the seventy members of the Airedale Symphony Orchestra, surely represented a triumph of human endeavour. An ebullient performance of Walton's rowdy and racy Portsmouth Point Overture soon banished lingering thoughts of the challenging weather conditions outside. The concert continued with the evocative English Rhapsody Brigg Fair, by Frederick Delius. ASO conductor John Anderson and his dedicated players captured the pulse and momentum of this atmospheric set of variations on a Lincolnshire folk tune. The languorous opening solo passages for oboe and flute were beautifully etched against the serene backdrop created by the violins. Orchestral textures were clearly delineated and carefully built up to the tumultuous climax towards the end.

The next novelty arrived in the form of Elgar's little known and wistful Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra. Bassoonist Lewis Wright revelled in the opportunity to shape and colour long, singing phrases rather than the punchy and quirky passages more frequently written for his instrument. The ASO has played a number of pieces especially written for them by Leeds composer William Kinghorn. Kinghorn's Five Pieces for Orchestra is a "recomposition" of short piano pieces which he composed in 2014. Anderson and the ASO played the five concise movements with consummate skill and attention to detail.

Kinghorn was born in 1935 - a year after the death of Sir Edward Elgar whose hour-long, deeply introspective Symphony No 2 in E Flat occupied the second half. Elgar marked the first page of his score with an enigmatic line by Shelley, "Rarely, rarely, comest thou, Spirit of Delight!" These beautiful words embrace the brooding and sombre character of the symphony, punctuated as it is with flashes of optimism and exuberance. I listened with a sense of wonderment as John Anderson and the ASO allowed this complex work to unfold. Anderson clearly knows how the music should go. His pacing and setting of tempi sounded exactly right. Balance and clarity of textures were impeccable - even in the very fast passages. I have occasionally heard the third movement Rondo Presto sound wilder, but at the expense of some detail. Here, Anderson applied the lightest possible touch to the brakes and enabled every note to be heard. The majestic Fourth Movement coda led into peaceful final bars and the sustained magical E Flat major chord embellished by glowing strings and angelic harps. A memorable and utterly enthralling performance to which the audience responded with prolonged applause.

by Geoffrey Mogridge