Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra

There was a standing ovation for the outstanding pianist, Alex Kirk, at a delightful concert presented by the Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra at St Briavels Church on Saturday 9^th July.  Alex, perhaps the most accomplished young musician in the Forest, played Beethoven’s powerful 1^st Piano Concerto as the finale to a well chosen and well received programme of works mostly from the golden age of romantic music. I had the wonderful opportunity from my seat of observing a great musician at work, which is one of the rewarding things of the concert-going experience, the excitement, the visual aspects, the thrilling uncertainty and the danger.

RFODO are acquiring a reputation as Beethoven specialists, and with soloists like Alex, and Simon Smith, who performed the Beethoven violin concerto at their previous concert, fans of the composer can be assured of a great evening of music with this Orchestra.

The evening started with a lively and thrilling performance of Rossini’s overture to his opera ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’, a story about an indomitable heroine who rescues her lover from the forces of evil.

This was followed by Schubert’s Tragic Symphony, which is in turn reflective, lyrical, agitated and dramatic, well suited to the style and strengths of the Orchestra.

The guest conductor, Alastair Cameron, is less flamboyant that Thomas Payne, the other conductor working with the Orchestra. The contrast in styles is remarkable, but the outcomes in terms of high quality musical outcomes are equally good. Alastair is also a composer, of film music as well as concert works. He had lined up Gounod’s ‘Funeral March of a Marionette’ (well known as the signature tune to Hitchcock thrillers) in the programme, but as this music was unavailable he wrote his own piece for the evening. His modestly titled ‘A Trifle’ (a world premiere) was the only gatecrasher in an evening of otherwise exclusively early nineteenth century music. It is an amusing little piece which could be imagined as the sound track to some off-beat television comedy, and was relished by performers and audience.

The RFODO are gradually making the journey to becoming a fine regional orchestra. After a perhaps uncertain start some years ago, they get better every performance. Encouraged by a series of top class soloists and conductors, they can now give a performance that can satisfy the St Briavels concert-going public, who are used to the international standards of the Wye Valley Music Society which often performs at St Briavels Church.