Orchestra and Young Pianist On Fine Form

Review by Stephen Dennison
25 June 2016
The Capitol, Horsham

Conductor: Steve Dummer
Leader: Barry Sutton

Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3 Op. 72b
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 102 (Soloist: Julian Trevelyan)
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 In D

Horsham Symphony Orchestra’s summer concert was dedicated to the memory of John Stilwell, former President of the orchestra, cellist and teacher, who died in May.

Steve Dummer led the orchestra with verve and athleticism. The programme began with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No 3 and introduced us to solos from trumpet, horn and flute and the leadership of Barry Sutton.

Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No 2 followed with the prodigious talent of the teenage Julian Trevelyan, BBC Young Musician Piano Finalist 2016, in Horsham for the first time. Julian is clearly a star of the future and he received rapturous applause for his energetic rendering of the concerto, both the memorable and lyrical Andante and the rippling Allegro. Julian then treated us to a short impromptu encore, the Musical Snuffbox by Anatoly Lyadov. He is a confident young musician.

The second half was filled with Mahler’s well-known Symphony No 1. Steve Dummer marshaled the whole team, through the bird songs of the first movement, the tender and lyrical second, the funereal third, before the stormy fourth movement bringing all of the symphony together with extensive percussion reaching the rousing end; depression giving way to hope. Overall this feels like a symphony which is more fun to play for brass and woodwind than strings and there were a number of beautiful wind entries introduced with style by Steve Dummer.

Overall this was a neatly balanced programme with the orchestra in fine form and the bonus of hearing a special piano talent for the first time.