The second Chichester Music Society’s Sponsored Concert with the University of Chichester’s Chamber Orchestra, directed by Crispin Ward, and featuring Miranda Dale from the Britten Sinfonia, was held at St John’s Chapel on Sunday 10 November.
The concert opened with a performance of Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, conducted energetically by Crispin Ward. This piece is evocative of the vast American landscape and is a corner stone of American music, and it was very well received by the audience. The tempos and dynamics were well-controlled and the orchestra played with commitment, creating a well-chosen optimistic introductory piece.
Following a suite by Shostakovitch conducted by Crispin Ward, the Chamber Orchestra led by Miranda Dale (violin) gave a performance of J S Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 4. Miranda was joined by solo flutes played by University Chamber Orchestra musicians. Bach’s challenging music switches between ferocious ensemble phases to delicate technical individual sections, and the musicians should be commended on an imaginative and well received performance. Miranda Dale’s contribution was outstanding here.
After a short interval, the orchestra lead by Julia Bishop, violin, gave an excellent performance of a Concerto for 4 violins by Vivaldi, Julia and three of the orchestra’s student members giving spirited performances of this sparkling music. The concert ended with Mozart’s “Paris” Symphony K297. Conducted by Crispin Ward, this performance was a joy to listen to. The orchestra and soloists were complementary to each other, and all were very effective in creating a very enjoyable performance of this final piece.
This event had been sponsored by the Chichester Music Society and just before the interval, Chris Hough, Chairman of CMS thanked Miranda and her colleagues, Crispin, and the orchestra for all their hard work and for giving a truly memorable concert, commenting that the 30-plus members of the University Chamber Orchestra had certainly benefited from the Masterclass which had been held during the past couple of days.
Chris Linford
