Bold, spirited playing
Garth Wilshere
Wellington Youth Sinfonietta, Director - Michael Vinten, and Schola Sinfonica, Director - Rachel Hyde, Final Concert for 2011, St Andrew’s on The Terrace, November 6. Reviewed by Garth Wilshere.
THESE end-of year concerts are always bitter-sweet because though you can witness the great progress that these young Wellington Youth Sinfonietta players have made during a year, you also know that some will be moving on to other things in their studies and burgeoning careers.
That they truly perform as an orchestra is a joy, as is experiencing their passion in music making.
We never expect perfection but what we do get is bold, spirited playing, and here also precision as evidenced by the opening chords of Beethoven’s The Creatures of Prometheus Overture. I was blown away by their vitality.
The WYS has a history of commitment to New Zealand works. At this concert a revised version of an earlier piece by their Music Director Michael Vinten written for the orchestra – Sinfonietta – was played, conducted by Assistant Conductor Simon Brew. In four movements it challenged and extended the players and had many beautiful ideas.
Their excellent strings, caught the rich romantic sweep of Scriabin’s Reverie.
Similarly five movements from Tchaikovsky’s incidental music in The Snow Maiden Suite demonstrated their skills in an inspirational concert.
Earlier the junior, much younger training string orchestra Schola Sinfonic, taken by Rachel Hyde, gave us essentially an open lesson, playing Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Holst’s Brook Green Suite.
This orchestra is a learning exercise and clearly issues like correct tuning and understanding about watching the conductor and listening are still being addressed, but they played valiantly, despite often looking terrified at the prospect. Their part went on far too long for a restless audience including many young children.
THESE end-of year concerts are always bitter-sweet because though you can witness the great progress that these young Wellington Youth Sinfonietta players have made during a year, you also know that some will be moving on to other things in their studies and burgeoning careers.
That they truly perform as an orchestra is a joy, as is experiencing their passion in music making.
We never expect perfection but what we do get is bold, spirited playing, and here also precision as evidenced by the opening chords of Beethoven’s The Creatures of Prometheus Overture. I was blown away by their vitality.
The WYS has a history of commitment to New Zealand works. At this concert a revised version of an earlier piece by their Music Director Michael Vinten written for the orchestra – Sinfonietta – was played, conducted by Assistant Conductor Simon Brew. In four movements it challenged and extended the players and had many beautiful ideas.
Their excellent strings, caught the rich romantic sweep of Scriabin’s Reverie.
Similarly five movements from Tchaikovsky’s incidental music in The Snow Maiden Suite demonstrated their skills in an inspirational concert.
Earlier the junior, much younger training string orchestra Schola Sinfonic, taken by Rachel Hyde, gave us essentially an open lesson, playing Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Holst’s Brook Green Suite.
This orchestra is a learning exercise and clearly issues like correct tuning and understanding about watching the conductor and listening are still being addressed, but they played valiantly, despite often looking terrified at the prospect. Their part went on far too long for a restless audience including many young children.
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