Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia perform pieces by Dame Ethel Smyth, Edvard Grieg and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia treated the audience to an evening of music centred around the theme of fairy tales at Bishop’s Stortford College’s Memorial Hall on Saturday (October 19), writes Iago Núñez.
The programme featured works by composers Dame Ethel Smyth, Edvard Grieg and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. As described by the sinfonia’s principal conductor Rebecca Miller, the unifying motif was storytelling.
The concert began with an unjustly obscure piece by Smyth. This characterful composer, a former suffragette, spent her life fighting for the right to have her voice heard, both as a woman and a composer. One of the highlights of her work includes The March of the Women, which became the anthem of the suffragette movement, and an excerpt from it could be heard in the opening of the concert with The Boatswain’s Mate Overture.
Smyth’s overture had a distinctive theme, introduced by the clarinets and later taken up by the entire orchestra, with other passages reminiscent of Arthur Sullivan but infused with a more sophisticated harmonic language. The overture featured delightful string textures with harp accompaniment, interspersed with quirky woodwind entries.
The magnificent brass chorale in the middle section, which served as a climactic moment, showcased the precise playing of the sinfonia’s brass section. The audience’s response was enthusiastic, a testament to Miller’s deep understanding of this music.
The next piece on the programme was the well-known Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 by the Norwegian composer Grieg. Principal flute player Simon Gilliver produced a beautiful, enchanting tone during the celebrated opening of the piece, Morning Mood. The string phrasing was excellent, with both short articulations and longer, expansive phrases demonstrating the conductor’s masterful control of the orchestra.
In the second movement, the muted strings created a moving, despairing intensity with great expressiveness that transcended the stereotypical image of Nordic coldness. The dynamic control, ranging from the most delicate pianissimo to a tempestuous fortissimo and back again, was executed perfectly.
The sensuality and exoticism of Anitra’s Dance were captured with elegant textural control and refined antiphonal dialogue between the members of the string section. Miller maintained magnificent control of the orchestra throughout, especially in the exhilarating and gradual accelerando that nearly brought the audience to its feet during the famous In the Hall of the Mountain King finale.
The second half of the concert was entirely dedicated to one of the Russian masterpieces of programme music: Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov. This is a challenging orchestral piece, but the sinfonia rose to the occasion, delivering excellent orchestral playing and numerous solos that showcased the incredible talents of individual players.
The woodwind section shone leading up to the enchanting violin solo, which serves as Scheherazade’s motif throughout the work, beautifully played by the sinfonia's principal first violin. There were also standout solos from the cello, horn, flute, oboe and bassoon principals, each highlighting the individual skill of the outstanding musicians.
In the opening of the second movement, the expressive oboe solo floated enigmatically with delicate ornamentation and beautiful warm tone in the lower register of the instrument. The virtuosic scherzo that followed was performed with effortless control by the string section and Miller managed to achieve stunning orchestral colours with rapid, pronounced dynamic swells.
The percussion section played with remarkable precision, particularly in the quietest passages, and it was heartening to see that the section was reinforced by young players from local schools.
The final movement featured brilliant brass playing once again, with the orchestra executing crystal-clear, fast repeated notes, bringing Scheherazade’s musical journey to a dramatic and explosive conclusion.
In addition to their frequent side-by-side performance opportunities for local students, the sinfonia continues to provide wonderful initiatives to encourage young people to attend these concerts. Special seating at the front of the orchestra allowed children to sit on beanbags and observe the cellos up close, while tables at the back of the hall gave young attendees the chance to draw and express themselves as they listened to the orchestral music.
We are looking forward to the next performance of this wonderful ensemble which is embarking on a choral odyssey with performances of Mozart and Verdi’s Requiems.
