A nearly full house, despite the wintry weather, saw the Westmorland Orchestra joined by the Cumbria Festival Chorus.
The orchestra began with Leonore III, from its sombre start with hushed strings through the offstage trumpet calls to the blazing final bars, the orchestra got into its stride under Richard Howarth’s crisp direction.
Bruckner’s Os Justi, with words from Psalm 37, gave the chorus a chance to demonstrate their wonderfully balanced and controlled sound, at once emotional and devout.
After the interval we were treated to a fiery and powerful performance of Beethoven’s Choral Symphony, one of the pinnacles of music. The first movement with its fragmentary themes and complex development is hard to carry off convincingly, but the orchestra rose to the occasion with pure woodwind lines, and the cellos and basses particularly striking.
The scherzo-like second movement was taken at a steady pace to let every note sound. The timpani, used extensively throughout this symphony, were always crisp and perfectly accented; the woodwind were clear and the brass restrained and sonorous.
The slow third movement, in my opinion one of the most beautiful pieces ever written, had lush sound and perfect tempi. In the fourth and mightiest movement, Beethoven introduced voices into the classical symphony for the first time, the well-drilled chorus and four soloists accepted the challenge magnificently.
The opening recitatives on cellos and basses were powerful and the hushed introduction of the Ode to Joy theme was enhanced by beautiful tone from the viola section. Richard Howarth paced the variations perfectly and drew crisp and energetic playing from the orchestra. The chorus and soloists put their hearts and souls into the words.
As the symphony moved to its tremendous life-affirming conclusion, audience and performers alike were caught up the joyful excitement, and the enthusiastic, well-merited applause proved that this concert was a fitting climax to Richard Howarth’s work with the Westmorland Orchestra.
REVIEW: Phil Johnstone
The Westmorland Orchestra will be performing works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Borodin on June 10 at Kendal Parish Church; details available at www.WestmorlandOrchestra.org.uk
