CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy at Birmingham Town Hall
Aug 12 2008 By Christopher Morley, Birmingham Post
‘As soloist in Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, Morgan Szymanski brought rhapsodic freedom of nuance and crispness of articulation to enliven this regrettably hackneyed piece, Seal’s orchestra accompanying with alert attentiveness.’
Birmingham Town Hall has been the venue for countless performances of Beethoven’s Symphony no.7 over the best part of two centuries, but not many of them will have been given with the vitality, energy and sheer rhythmic drive which we heard from the superlative CBSO Youth Orchestra Academy.
These young players are hand-picked from an already remarkable CBSOYO, and, like all the members of that amazing ensemble, play with dedication, skill and a willingness to learn.
The responsibility upon those who coach them is immense. In Michael Seal they have a conductor who, himself vastly experienced as a violinist in the CBSO, has learned his trade from the inside and is therefore able to direct his charges with insight and understanding.
The result in this most kinetic of symphonies was exhilarating, lively, vibrant and seamlessly flowing. If any complaint can be made, it is that the textures were string-dominated, from the top downwards, and important wind contributions were submerged. But to criticise at that level is to pay tribute to the immaculate expertise of all concerned.
Earlier in this attractive programme we admired brave gossamer string cascades in Arvo Part’s Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, and found a link with the Suffolk composer (“naturally�-tuned horns a la Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings) in Ligeti’s Concerto Romanesc, a work which owes more to Bartok and Enescu rather than prefiguring any of the highly individual works later to flow from the Hungarian composer’s pen.
As soloist in Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, Morgan Szymanski brought rhapsodic freedom of nuance and crispness of articulation to enliven this regrettably hackneyed piece, Seal’s orchestra accompanying with alert attentiveness.