Sinfonia of
Birmingham
Holy Trinity Church,
Stratford-upon-Avon ****
“Of course he
was a wonderful player, that goes without saying, but he was also permanently
in a good mood which is much rarer!”. This warm quotation by Sir Simon Rattle,
included in the programme about Gwyn Williams, a lynchpin of the viola section
of the CBSO for so many years, captured the spirit of the man who was
celebrated in this concert given in aid of the Gwyn Williams Bursary for Young
Viola Players, inaugurated in 2017 in Williams’ memory.
Williams
believed passionately in encouraging and furthering the careers of young viola
players, and he surely would have been satisfied with tonight’s soloist, Leeloo
Creed, who is one of the promising young players whom the Bursary has
supported. Telemann’s Viola Concerto in G – one of the earliest examples of a
concerto for solo viola – explores the full breadth of this versatile
instrument, with Creed’s understated authority and poise delivering a
performance that brought out a richness of tone and colour, especially in the
lower register, no doubt delighting the maker of her instrument William Piper
who was present in the audience.
There was
much to enjoy in this all-strings concert programme given by the Sinfonia of
Birmingham, celebrating their 30th anniversary season, and
characterfully led by Julia Åberg. The variety of texture, colour and mood in
Peter Warlock’s ‘Capriol Suite’ was perfectly captured, along with the humour
in movements like ‘Tordion,’ with actor Kevin Whately’s spoken interspersions
adding interesting context.
The yearning
melancholy of ‘Sentimental Sarabande’ in Britten’s ‘Simple Symphony’ (a piece
that, in totality, is anything but ‘simple’ to play) was affectingly
communicated, with a fine rendition of the Sarabande’s beautiful melody from
the violas and cellos, whilst there was also a nod to Shakespeare with the
inclusion of two pieces from Walton’s Henry V Suite – appropriate given that we
were sitting in the Bard’s church.
The
‘Praeludium’ of Grieg’s ‘Holberg Suite’ bubbled away effervescently, although I
would have preferred a more ‘fleet-of-foot’ feel in some of the other
movements. The concert concluded with what was a highlight: Elgar’s Serenade
for Strings, from its sonorous viola opening to a loving performance of the
‘Larghetto’ given by the Sinfonia’s committed players.
Conductor
Christopher Morley, clearly enjoying his return to the podium, directed the
ensemble with empathy and encouragement throughout.
Anthony Bradbury