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.

Summer 2011 Concert

The Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra is delighted to announce the programme and details for its forthcoming summer concert. The orchestra will perform once again in one of the area’s most beautiful buildings, the Church of St Mary in St Briavels, and will present a marvellous programme of traditional classical music, including Rossini’s mischievous Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers and Schubert’s rarely heard Symphony No 4, ‘The Tragic’. The entire second half will be devoted to Beethoven’s majestic first piano concerto when the orchestra will be joined by local piano prodigy, Alex Kirk.

Alex started learning the piano at the age of five. From 2003 he has been attending the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama under the Junior Music and Access Studies course, and at the age of fourteen, passed grade VIII with distinction.  This pass was acknowledged by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music for gaining the highest mark in the region. In May 2010, Alex was awarded the Margaret Rose Bursary by Drybrook and District Ladies Choir in memory of their founder musical director Margaret Burford and earlier this year he gained The Herbert Howells Bursary . Alex was also a finalist in the Gloucestershire Young Musician and won the Cheltenham festival’s Keith Nutland award  for best young musician. As an accompanist, he plays for the Forest of Dean Male Voice Choir and the Springfield Singers and is quickly becoming well known as a talented classical pianist, performing in venues such as Cheltenham Town Hall and Bath’s Guildhall. Alex was successful in auditioning for a place at the Royal College of Music in London where he will start in September.

The orchestra will be conducted by local musician, Alastair Cameron and led, as usual by distinguished performer and teacher, Ros Taunton. A spokesperson for the orchestra said, ‘we are all thrilled to be playing with Alex – the orchestra’s ethos has always been to promote local youngsters, particularly those who are clearly going onto great things and Alex is certainly one of those! We hope  people will come, support and be inspired by Alex before he goes off to the Royal College of Music in London.’