Crit 9 Sept 2006

More than 350 people attended Tayside Symphony Orchestra's recital in the Reid Hall, Forfar, on Saturday 9th September; they were not disappointed. The orchestra, under their conductor, Ron Walker, provided an excellent and well-rehearsed evening's entertainment.

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, the first half of the programme gave us three of his works - the overture to "Marriage of Figaro", the Oboe Concerto in C (K.314) and the "Paris" Symphony in D (K297). In all three the orchestra responded to Ron's direction with enthusiasm and no little skill, but special mention must be made of the oboe concerto, where the soloist Geoffrey Bridge gave a wonderfully fluent rendering of the demanding score - a real pleasure to listen to. Everyone in the audience appreciated that we were in the presence of a master of the instrument. More than that, the co-operation between soloist and the orchestra was quite excellent. The last item before the interval was the "Paris" Symphony - not, in my opinion, the greatest of Mozart's symphonies, but nevertheless very attractively played.

The final work, after the interval, was the Mendelssohn "Scottish" Symphony. Anyone who thinks of Mendelssohn's music as merely easy melodies is in for a shock here; this is a complex and demanding work, and the orchestra rose to the occasion, producing a very worthy performance. My scribbled notes included "Good tone right from the start", "Spirited orchestra responding well" and "Frequent key changes, well handled." All in all, the audience went away having had more than just value for their money. Well done the TSO!