Review

TITLE: Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra

VENUE: Huddersfield Town Hall

REVIEW: By William Marshall

THERE was drama behind the scenes, on the podium and within the music at this concert.Š

Principal conductor Natalia Luis-Bassa did not appear – she was “indisposed”, the audience was informed – and three members of the orchestra took over conducting duties at the last minute.

It is understood that Ms Luis-Bassa’s non–appearance was the result of a clash and tensions during rehearsal and her future with the Phil – with which she has produced some excellent performances of major worksŠ – must be in considerable doubt.

So this is a sad episode in the annals of one of Huddersfield’s most important musical institutions. But the orchestra’s members can take pride and solace in their performance and it was a night to remember for the three emergency conductors, instrumentalists who demonstrated their depths of musicianship.

The biggest challenge was that undertaken by principal flautist James Squire, who conducted the two Beethoven works on the programme.

The first was a bizarre rarity, Wellington’s Victory – originally composed for a form of early 19th century automated musical machine and later transcribed for orchestra. An evocation of the defeat of the French at the Battle of Vittoria in the Peninsular War, it introduces themes such as Rule Britannia and God Save the King, plus a wide variety of battle effects.

It was good to hear this unusual piece, although it is never likely to become a concert standard. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, on the other hand, is one of the high water marks of European music and in conducting this successfully, James Squire scored a personal triumph and the orchestra chalked up a highly creditable account of the great work, including a brisk, well-articulated account of the famous opening and some beautiful sonorities in the exquisite second movement. Throughout there was plenty of dynamic variation and the conclusion was executed with crisp precision.

The concert opened with a band of 24 oboes, 12 bassoons, nine horns, nine trumpets and percussion performing a suite from Handel’s Fireworks Music. This was a very enterprising piece of programming and logistics by the orchestra and here the baton was taken by bassoonist David Robinson.

The massed oboists kept their tone and tuning very well, although the effect produced by the modern instrument, played in legato style, is probably not that of Handel’s original players. The horns furnished some glorious washes of sound.

Cellist Wendy Davies was the conductor for Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 3, scored purely for strings. The opening of this piece can, in “modern” performances, sound rather turgid, but here it was delightfully airy and well paced.Š

There were times when crisper articulation – of the sort used by baroque specialists – would have been welcome, but this was an excellent account of the work.

The entire programme was a varied, ambitious and imaginative conception, well executed in what must have been tense and trying circumstances.