Central England Ensemble Carrs Lane [...]; REVIEWS.

Central England Ensemble Carrs Lane Church Centre ||||| The concert opened with a spirited performance of Beethoven's Overture to Coriolan, the passionate musical accompaniment to the tale of the tragic war hero Coriolan, or Coriolanus, if you prefer Shakespeare's more famous protagonist. The overture is in Beethoven's favourite key for his dark and tragic works and commences with expressive melody, reminding the audience of the tragedy of the tale.

This concert included the premiere of conductor Tony Bridgewater's Concerto for Flute and Clarinet, a lively piece very much in keeping with the rest of the programme. Linda May's flute was perfectly suited to the Allegro con brio opening movement, sparkling brightly above the flowing orchestral accompaniment, and later mirrored in the pizzicato lower strings. Clarinettist Tony May had a rich, oily tone in the smooth Adagio, whilst the harp created a welcome sharper edge to the sweeping lyrical strings. Sudden chords from the piano introduced some much needed drama to the final Presto agitato. Orchestral strings were perfect for the earlier movements, but the finale would have benefitted from brass accompaniment to add some zest and really bring it to life.

The sombre opening to Schubert's Symphony No. 4 provided a suitably melancholic introduction to this 'Tragic' symphony, though in the livelier Allegro vivace, bustling rhythms and rising melodic lines culminating in a major cadence evoked optimism rather than tragedy. The contrasting poetic Andante, an intensely beautiful movement for mostly strings, was interrupted at intervals by strident minor harmonies and chromatics, thus convincing the audience of the appropriateness of the title. The final Allegro was bright and lively, though the dramatic closing three Cs connect the finale with the sober beginning.

Sarah Chatterley

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Title Annotation:	Features; Review
Publication:	The Birmingham Post (England)
Article Type:	Concert review
Date:	Feb 21, 2013
Words:	282
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Topics:	Concerts Concert reviews