REVIEW: West Lakeland Orchestral Society concert, Christ Church, Cockermouth

THIS concert represented a series of "firsts" for WLOS – namely, the first of a season with all three concerts to be held in Cockermouth; the first under the baton of new conductor Owen Davies and the first to be staged in Christ Church.

So, fingers were crossed that the very full and varied programme would attract a good audience on a foul winter's night, and would be well received. Successful on both counts! The evening began with Gluck's overture to "Iphigenie en Aulide". After a little hesitancy in the opening bars, the strings warmed to the task admirably, leading to dramatic contributions from both the wind and brass sections.

Owen Davies encouraged a tempo in keeping with Gluck's pre-Wagnerian intentions.

Next, we were treated to the first appearance of guest violinist, Pamela Redman, playing a Beethoven Romance for violin and orchestra.

Pamela proved to be a terrific soloist, with her impeccable intonation and timing bringing the best out of the orchestra, with the subtleties of the work wonderfully illustrated.

The entertainment continued with the West Lakeland Orchestra

performing "Le Roi s'amuse - Airs de Danse", by Delibes. Written for a Victor Hugo play in 1832, but in a 16th century style, the six dance airs plus finale require a skilled hand from the conductor, in controlling the variety of tempi and the "togetherness" of the different sections. Happily, the players responded well to Owen Davies' guidance.

The first half ended with Pamela Redman's brilliant rendition of Massenet's Meditation from "Thais". Always a crowd pleaser, this was a very moving interpretation.

The West Lakeland Orchestra provided sensitive support, while Dorothy Edger (playing the harp part on electronic keyboard) showed how quickly Pamela and she had struck up a fruitful musical rapport. It was a performance that brought the house down.

The concert concluded with a performance of Mozart's Symphony number 39 - one of the genius' very late works. The work is emotionally subtle, with many musical intricacies and structural complexities.

There can be no doubt that Owen brought a good performance out of the players, although such an involved piece possibly required a little more rehearsal time.

Still, the evening of fine music was much appreciated by a good-sized audience, with many going out of their way to say how much they had enjoyed the concert.

Alchemist

* The society's next concert takes place on Saturday, March 25, 2017, at the United Reformed Church, Cockermouth