“The concert was unforgettable, wholly and in part”

Review by Louise Dumas

November 12th  2022

St Mary's Church, Horsham

Conductor: Steve Dummer
Leader: Rachel Ellis
Soloists: The Mithras Trio 

(Ionel Manciu - Violin, Leo Popplewell - Cello, Dominic Degavino - Piano)

Beethoven: Triple Concerto

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5

What makes an orchestral concert unforgettable? Is it the programme? The players? The venue? Ideally, a combination, plus three less tangible extras: passion, energy and enthusiasm, particularly when applied to Beethoven Op. 56. The work doesn’t possess the dialogue between soloists and orchestra necessary to qualify as a concerto in the manner of Beethoven concerti three and four, let alone The Emperor. It has more ambition than a piano trio, but it has never quite achieved the status of the Archduke. It needs uncompetitive soloists of equal calibre and an intelligent orchestra capable of providing a springboard, not just a background. Violinist Ionel Manciu brought an uninhibited sense of fun to the platform, joyously starring with cellist Leo Popplewell yet allowing Dominic DeGavino equal sunshine onthepiano. Herewerenoclashingegosbutashareddelightinmusic-makingofrarequality and their infectious exuberance, shared by a radiantly rhythmic Steve Dummer, lifted the orchestra, along with Beethoven’s occasionally maligned composition, to realms above.

If Beethoven’s Triple Concerto fails to reach the accepted canon of major classical work, there has never been any doubt over the Symphony No. 5 by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Premiered at a Prom concert in 1943, it was quickly acknowledged as a masterpiece for its lyrical invention, gentle melodic sweep and sophisticated orchestration. With infinite skill, Steve Dummer spun the opening short thematic ideas into the symphony’s extended passages, emphasising the rhythmic homogeneity: there were moments when this felt like the pilgrims walk, from Bunyan’s tale which had provided the inspiration in the first place. Important brass and wind players encouraged the opening movement into a powerful yet peaceful soundscape of dramatic dynamic contrasts, curiously English in character, wonderfully well played. In the Scherzo, our pilgrims walk through a flickering forest of winds, ending abruptly before the wonderful mystique of the Romanza, most sensitively led by Rachel Ellis. Hailing this beautiful peaceful movement as a ‘high peak of English symphonic art’ might be daunting for an orchestra, but the Horsham Symphony players were more than equal to the task, carefully delineating phrases and bringing out the sweet, pastoral sounds, echoes of Butterworth and a balm to the horrors of war. The final Passacaglia, honouring the polyphonic legacy of Thomas Tallis, has our Pilgrims marching in joyful rhythm towards the sunlit uplands. Horsham horns, brass and wind players, absent from the Romanza, return in triumph to blazing conclusion.

For this reviewer, the concert was unforgettable, wholly and in part. The youthful energy of Mithras revived our delight in the Triple Concerto and local connections enhanced our pleasure in Vaughan Williams’ most celebrated symphony. So - we have a most imaginative pairing for a programme and a very attractive venue in St. Mary’s. (If some of the acoustics were less than ideal, the same can be said for many concert halls worldwide) Our players, The Horsham Symphony Orchestra led by their inspirational conductor Steve Dummer, were, quite simply, outstanding, bringing forth a mighty instrument of power, subtlety and precision. Passion, energy and enthusiasm? All of it.