17th July 2010
Vivaldi – Basoon Concerto – Soloist Nic Macorison
Debussy – L’Apres Midi d’un Faun
Beethoven – Symphony No. 4
Overture Egmont
Musical Director Thomas Payne
20th March 2010
Ralph Vaughan Williams: A London Symphony
Chris Golding: Flute Piece (Soloist: Sarah Waycott)
Sir Arthur Sullivan: Overture, The Tempest
Stanford: Irish Rhapsody
Conductor Frank O’Connor
Review (not yet available)
5th December 2009
Dvořák: Symphony No. 7
Rossini: Overture, The Barber of Seville
Mascagni: Intermezzo from Cavalliera Rusticana
and a selection of operatic arias by Verdi, Mozart and many more
Conductor Ian Russell
with Mezzo Soprano Josephine Williamson
Thanks to Midcounties Cooperative for sponsoring this concert.
The Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra Winter Concert 2009
The Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra, now in its 16th year, performed its winter concert on Saturday 5th December at St Mary’s Church in Ross-on-Wye. The 13th century church provided an atmospheric setting for the Romantic theme of the evening. Drawn from musicians across the region, the 45 piece orchestra was framed by the imposing pointed chancel arch against the backdrop of the panelled east window.
Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture set the mood for the first half of the performance. If conductor Ian Russell’s baton flying through the air in the climactic last bar betrayed some opening nerves, these were soon allayed by the entrance of renowned mezzo soprano Josephine Williamson. From her commanding position at the pulpit, after the brief aria Voi che sapete from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, she brought the concert to life with a moving interpretation of Saint Saens ‘My heart opens to your voice’ from Samson and Delila, supported by a confident string accompaniment.
Williamson charmed with her playful Una Voce Poco Fa from the Barber of Seville and brightly arpeggiated melodies of Verdi’s Don Carlo, Canzone del Velo. The orchestra provided further romantic intermezzo texture with the cinematically familiar intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, reminiscent for me of the poignant opening sequence of Scorcese’s Raging Bull. For her final performance Williamson graced us with a heart-rending delivery of Dvorak’s Song to the Moon from Rusalka, above the richly coloured orchestration. The first half ended with the dramatic and complex dissonance of Berlioz magnificently evocative Royal Hunt and Storm from The Trojans, portraying Dido and Aeneas’ sheltering in a cave during a storm. The demanding piece revealed some of the musical talent embedded in the Forest region, as horns heralded the nearing hunt and the storm was conjured by kettle drums, the pitter-pitter of plucked and descending strings textured by the piccolo of accomplished principal flautist Fiona Crawley, at last followed by calando basses of the subsiding storm waters as the couple declare their affections.
The consuming 19th century romance of the evening was redoubled in a second half devoted to the heartfelt patriotism of Dvorak’s 7th Symphony. The orchestra captured the physicality of this excruciatingly difficult and brooding work from the passion of the first movement with the echoing interplay of the clarinets and flutes, dramatic crescendos of the horns and tempestuous strings. This contrasted with the aching melancholy of the second while the vivace scherzo of the third brought relief with a sense of the orchestra carried as one by the buoyant elegance within the rhythmic Bohemian melodies. The rousing grandeur of the finale brought the evening to its end and enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Review: David Greenhalgh
25th July 2009
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathusthra
Mendelssohn: Scherzo from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Weber: Overture Oberon
Saint-Saens: Danse Macabre
Mussorgsky: Night on a Bare Mountain
The Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra performed its summer concert to a large and enthusiastic audience at Newland Church on Saturday. The Forest Cathedral, as it is known, was the perfect venue for the light and enjoyable programme based on ‘Magic, Mystery and Myth’.
To coincide with the 40th anniversary of man landing on the moon, the Orchestra opened the first half withAlso Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, which was used as the key musical motif in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. Under the guidance of conductor Frank O’Connor, the musicians conveyed the dramatic character of the piece with its full dynamic ranges. To contrast, the programme continued with Mendelssohn’s Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, with its delicate and playful themes accurately performed. The first half finished with a joyful performance of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Dukas, notable for its mischievous bassoon solo performed by Mike Neate.
The second half began with the Overture from Carl Maria von Weber’s last opera Oberon. Rooted in medieval legend the music portrayed the atmosphere of a world of fantasy from dancing fairies to adventurous knights. A delightful violin solo from orchestra leader Rosalind Taunton was the highlight of the next piece, Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens. The musicians effectively captured the dark yet playful tones of the music. As a finale the orchestra produced a fiery performance of Mussorgsky’s Night on a Bare Mountain. The sonorous tones from the lower brass section dramatically delivered the sound required to fill the large space provided by this spectacular venue. This ended a thoroughly enjoyable evening of exciting and engaging music. The orchestra demonstrated their musical talent and versatility in producing what was an excellent performance.
Review: Alex Kirk
14th March 2009
Beethoven Concert:
The Creatures of Prometheus
Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) – (Soloist Tatiana Dolgowska)
Symphony No. 5
Last Saturday night, our local orchestra under the expert baton of conductor, Frank O’Connor again proved its undeniable popularity by filling to the brim, the parish church of St Briavels. It was the first time that the Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra had ventured into this historic part of the forest and the superb setting, coupled with a most generous and knowledgeable audience would hopefully ensure that it would not be the last.
The all Beethoven programme clearly appealed to the local listeners and supporters with all pews filled and several youngsters being forced to perch upon extra chairs placed just in front of the players. The concert kicked off with a rousing rendition of a lesser known overture, The Creatures of Prometheus, notable for a beautiful opening duet between the two oboes and then leading into an ‘allegro’ section featuring some complicated syncopated interplay between the woodwinds.
This was followed by the stirring opening chords of probably the most famous and certainly the best loved piano concerto of all time, ‘The Emperor’ – and what a performance it was. The magnificent opening arpeggios announced the arrival of the very fine Russian soloist, Tatiana Dolgowska, and the work proceeded in the most impressive fashion, with the soloist playing from memory and the orchestra accompanying with great sensitivity. The brilliance of the first movement with all its runs and flourishes was followed and contrasted by a limpid and heartbreakingly tender adagio which led directly to the dazzling final rondo with all its ornate variations and complexities. The mood was perfectly captured by the young soloist who received cheers and a standing ovation from the rapturous audience.
The final piece of the programme was the emotional and tense Symphony No 5, the tragic opening motif being clearly heard throughout the movement, passing between the sections of the orchestra. The second movement displayed the full lyricism of the lower strings, led most ably by Liz Pritchard. This was contrasted by some highly sensitive playing from the leaders of the woodwind section. The symphony ended in a great blaze of C major, with all players bringing the work to a most emphatic close.
Mr O’Connor is to be commended as a conductor, not only bringing out the best in each and every player, but also producing a wonderful, authentic sound, particularly in the string section which was excellent throughout indeed the one abiding memory that this reviewer took from the concert was the clear enjoyment and satisfaction evident on the face of each musician.
6th December 2008
Sibelius: Finlandia
Barber: Adagio for Strings
Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp
(Soloists: Jemima Phillips, Harp & Sarah Waycott, Flute)
Saint-Saëns: Organ Symphony
(Organ soloist: Robert Jones)
12th July 2008
Bernstein: Candide Overture
Copland: Quiet City
(Soloists – Lydia Griffiths, cor Anglais and Ollie Bell, trumpet)
Copland: Music from “Rodeo”
Ives: Central Park in the Dark
Bernstein: Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story”
An expanded Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra under the expert baton of Frank O’Connor presented a thrilling evening of American music at Newland Church on Saturday 12th July. The programme began and finished with blasts of Leonard Bernstein. Firstly we heard the Overture from Candide with its rhythmic precision played by a phenomenally crisp brass section and the subtle interplay of the upper strings and wind. The strings were joined by two young soloists, Oliver Bell on trumpet and Lydia Griffiths on cor anglais for Copland’s sensitive and evocative ‘Quiet City’. Both soloists were outstanding, playing with a rarely heard maturity and mastery, and accompanied by the most delicate and controlled of orchestral sounds. The orchestra then played four movements from Copland’s ballet ‘Rodeo’; Buckaroo Holiday, the first, was possibly not quite as disciplined as Mr O’Connor would have liked but this was more than compensated for by the beautiful legato lines on the first oboe and bassoon in Corral Nocturne and the wind soloists in Saturday Night Waltz. Copland’s infectious and high octane Hoe-Down with its skilfully crafted folk tunes shared by all the sections of the orchestra made a grand finale to the first half.
The second half started with a challenge for players and audience alike – Ives’s Central Park in the Dark. There can not be many amateur orchestras that would have the ambition not to say sheer nerve to present this difficult and startling piece in a classical programme.
The concert concluded with an absolute riot of rhythmic exuberance in Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The four excellent percussionists were now on show and gave an electric display particularly in the ‘mambo‘. The horns were at their majestic best, the first horn being outstanding throughout the programme and the huge battery of brass simply played for all their worth creating a dazzling sound. Jazz rhythms rocked and ricocheted around the church. It was a night to remember!
The orchestra improves with each and every concert and has now reached a level where it can attract top quality players. Mr O’Connor is to be congratulated on presenting another exhilarating and inspirational programme. Encore!
3rd May 2008
Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto
(Soloist – Richard Fletcher)
Dvorak – Symphony No. 8
Mozart – The Magic Flute Overture
1st December 2007
Mendelssohn – Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mozart – Symphony No. 31 in D (Paris)
Beethoven – Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)
Vaughan Williams – The Lark Ascending (Soloist –Marie Roberts)
14 July 2007
Shostakovich – Festive Overture
Gershwin Songs – I Got Plenty O’Nothing, It Ain’t Necessarily So, Summertime
(Soloist Rachael Coulson)
arr. Thorpe – Telly Medley (for cello quartet)
Shostakovich – Jazz Suite No. 1
arr. Shostakovich – Tahiti Trot (Tea for Two)
Shostakovich – Jazz Suite No. 2
12 May 2007
Elgar – Cello Concerto (soloist David Powell)
Mendelssohn – The Hebrides Overture
Schubert – Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished)
Elgar – The Dream Children
2 December 2006
Borodin – Symphony No 2
Rossini – The Thieving Magpie: Overture
Dvorak – The Wild Dove
Wagner – The Entry of the Gods into Valhalla
16 July 2006
Leopold Mozart – Toy Symphony
Beethoven – Egmont Overture op 84
Mozart – Flute Concerto No 2 [soloist- Fiona Crawley]
Beethoven – Romance for Violin & Orchestra [soloist- Marie Roberts]
Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on Greensleeves
Bach – Air on a G String
13 May 2006
Elgar – Enigma Variations
Butterworth – The Banks of Green Willow Vaughan Williams – On Wenlock Edge [soloist – Russell Burton (tenor)]
Walton – “Spitfire” Prelude and Fugue
3 December 2005
Brahms – Concerto for Violin & Cello [soloists – Sophie Coles (violin) & Richard Phillips (cello)]
Elgar – Serencade for Strings
Beethoven – Fidelio Overture
Mozart – Symphony No 31 “Paris”
14 May 2005
Tchaikovsky – Capriccio Italien
Kabalevsky – Violin Concerto [soloist – Amelia Jones]
Holst – The Planets
4 December 2004
Rachmaninov – Isle of the Dead
David – Concertino no 4 for Trombone & Orchestra [soloist – Brett Baker]
Grøndahl – Concerto for Trombone & Orchestra [soloist – Brett Baker]
Brahms – Symphony No 1 in C minor
8 May 2004
Delius – Two Pieces for Small Orchestra
Elgar – Violin Concerto in B minor [soloist – Ralph Wallace]
Beethoven – Symphony No 6 (Pastoral)
6 December 2003
Alan Williams – Out of the Forest: new commission [world premiere]
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No 5
Mussorgsky – Night on a Bare Mountain
10 May 2003
Bruckner – Symphony No 4 “The Romantic”
Mendelssohn – Overture: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Borodin – In the Steppes of Central Asia
30 November 2002
Grieg – Piano Concerto in A minor [soloist – Malcolm Peckham]
Dvorak – Symphonic Poem: The Noon Day Witch
Beethoven – Symphony No 8 in F major
11 May 2002
Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture
Glazunov – The Seasons
Moszkowski – Two Spanish Dances
1 December 2001
Shostakovich – Symphony No 12 “The Year 1919”
Rossini – William Tell Overture
Borodin – Polovtsian Dances
Maxwell-Davies – An Orkney Wedding with Sunrise
30 June 2001
Mozart – Symphony No 31 “Paris”
Elgar – Chanson de Matin; Rosemary
J H Foulds – Keltic Lament
Mozart – Divertimento No 3 in F maj
Brahms – Three Hungarian Dances
12 May 2001
Bruch – Violin Concerto
[soloist – Stephen McDade]
Beethoven – Symphony No 3 “Eroica”
Mozart – Overture from Cosi fan Tutti
2 December 2000
Dvorak – Cello Concerto
[soloist – Benjamin Dacre Birtle]
Grieg – Peer Gynt Suite (extracts)
Nielsen – Aladdin Suite (extracts)
Balakierev – Overture on three Russian themes
1 April 2000
Bernstein – Verture: Candide
Brahms – Violin Concerto
[soloist – Ralph Wallace]
Beethoven – Symphony No 2
4 December 1999
Wagner – Siegfried’s Funeral March
Tchaikovsky – Romeo & Juliet
Saint-Saëns – Symphony No 3 (Organ Symphony)
4 July 1999
Prokofiev – Peter & the Wolf
Dankworth – Tom Sawyer’s Saturday
Saint-Saëns – Carnival of the Animals
20 March 1999
Borodin – Symphony No 2
Khatchaturian – Spartacus Suite No 2
Borodin – In the Steppes of Central Asia
5 December 1998
Smetana – Vltava from Ma Vlast
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No 5 (Emperor)
[soloist – Samantha Newbold]
Dvorak – Symphony No 9 (New World)
18 July 1998
Bach – Brandenburg Concerto No 3
Schubert – Scherzo and Trio op 147
Bach – Cantata No 202
Mozart – Exultate Jubilate
[soloist – Jenny Nex]
Mozart – Symphony No 40
2 May 1998
Brahms – Academic Festival Overture
Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor
[soloist – Matthew Denton]
Corum – Jo Jo and Aunty (premiere)
Hadyn – Symphony No 103 (Drum Roll)
22 November 1997
Bizet – Suite from Carmen
Elgar – Enigma Variations
Faure – Pavane
Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition
26 April 1997
Mendelssohn – Hebrides Overture
Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No 2 [soloist – Samantha Newbold]
Dvorak – Symphony No 8
7 December 1996
Rodney Bennett – Farnham Festival Overture
Handel – Organ Concerto in G minor
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No 5
4 May 1996
Beethoven – Egmont Overture
Saint-Saëns – Cello Concerto
[soloist – Emma Lumsden]
Haydn – Symphony No 104
Sibelius – Karelia Suite
2 December 1995
Glinka – Overture: a Life for the Tsar
Reinecke – Concerto for Flute & Orchestra
[soloist – Sarah Bastin]
Beethoven – Symphony No 5
7 May 1995
Herold – Overture to Zampa
Beethoven – Triple Concerto in C major
[soloists – Ruth Evans (violin), Emma Lumsden (cello), Yanna Zissiadou (piano)]
Vaughan Williams – English Folk Song Suite
Mozart – Symphony No 35 “Haffner”
4 December 1994
Beethoven
– Coriolan Overture
– Piano Concerto No 4
[soloist – Rustem Hairutdinov]
– Symphony No 6 “Pastoral”
21 May 1994
J Strauss – Overture: Die Fledermaus
Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto in E minor
[soloist – Edgar Dacre Birtle]
Elgar – Wand of Youth Suite no 1
Mozart – Symphony No 40
11 December 1993
Rossini – Overture: Barber of Seville
Mussorgsky – Night on a Bare Mountain
J Strauss – Tales from the Vienna Woods
Schubert – Symphony no 8 “The Unfinished”
Vaughan Williams – English Folk Song Suite
Elgar – Pomp & Circumstance March no 4
16 July 1993
Sullivan – Overture: Pirates of Penzance
Faure – Pavane
Handel – extracts from Water Music Suite no 1 and Music for the Royal Fireworks
Vaughan Williams – Rhosymedre
Haydn – Symphony No 104
