Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra - Tewkesbury Abbey

Monday 29th March 2010

Brimming with talent, Gloucestershire Youth Orchestra gave a tremendous charity concert organised by Tewkesbury Rotary Club.

Beginning with Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony (Pastoral), the gentle string tones were often muffled by the Abbey acoustics. Dominant themes in each section of the orchestra were clear but the heavy texture of Beethoven’s orchestration often obliterated the nuances conductor Glyn Oxley strove to elicit. Throughout the evening he strictly controlled rhythm and tempo, the orchestra responding with sympathy and skill.

Obversely Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition did not succumb to the acoustics. Embracing all the colour of Ravel’s orchestration, the musicians brought a variety of characters and scenes to life.

There was a touch of surrealism in Gnome, the dark velvet alto saxophone solo in The Old Castle and the tuba’s lumbering trudge in Bydlo with its dominant pulling motion. After a busy bustling Market and reflective Catacombs the work culminated with impressive and stately playing of The Great Gate of Kiev.

The piece de resistance was Tchaikovsky’s spectacular 1812 Overture.

With sweeps of pure melodic Tchaikovsky interspersed with strident brass, from the quiet low string introduction to a blazing double-fortissimo conclusion each orchestral section excelled. Brass and wind fanfares and anthems shone through boldly, strings scurried and flurried whilst the hard-working battery of percussion proudly and loudly contributed.With an obvious check of tempo preceding the grand climax, the addition of an electronic cannon and the Abbey’s own peal of bells ascertained a crowning triumph.

This dramatic performance received a standing ovation.

Jill Bacon