4 July 2009: Leamington Sinfonia welcomes Helensburgh Orchestral Society

The Leamington Sinfonia were delighted to welcome our friends from the Helensburgh Orchestral Society for the weekend of 4/5 July 2009. Amid a frenetic rehearsal schedule, the two orchestras managed to fit in some fun including a highly successful barbecue in the sunshine. A joint concert was held on the evening of 4 July with the two orchestras performing separately before joining forces for a grand finale: not a single additional musician could have been squeezed in!

Following the well-attended concert, a few stalwart musicians from the Scottish contingent continued playing for a celebratory ceilidh. Toes were tapped, hands were clapped, willows were stripped and rumours circulated about some chap Gordon's exit from the closet.

All the members of the Leamington Sinfonia thank our Scottish friends for making the trip down and hope that we'll meet again soon.

Concert review: 11 July 2009

Delius, Darth Vader & Tchaikovsky 4 with Leamington Sinfonia

Leamington Sinfonia confirmed that amateur music making is alive and well with their eclectic and well executed concert on Saturday 11th July in All Saints Church, Warwick, but where are the amateur audiences? The orchestra members cover a wide range of age and instrumental expertise, all of whom perform with enthusiasm and commitment which, in the intimate setting of All Saints, infects the audience to feel they are part of the performance. Purists will go to professional orchestral concerts to study the conductor’s interpretation and make intellectual judgements, but amateur performances are all about the sheer thrill of making music and rising to the challenges set by the composer. And challenges there certainly were in this interestingly varied programme, not least the second half’s Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4. From the rousing opening by the brass section through the delicate pizzicato of the 3rd movement to the finale, described in the informative programme as where ‘the music triumphs over oppression, as the symphony sprints to a cacophonous close’, conductor Jenny Barrie inspired all sections of the orchestra; there were some magical moments and, yes, even instances of her own interpretation of what Tchaikovsky described as ‘my best symphonic work’. This talented group of amateur musicians is blessed with a good number of excellent soloists in the woodwind and brass sections who were given their opportunity to shine.

Leader Edward Boothroyd is to be congratulated on bringing a greater confidence to the orchestra in addition to his own virtuosity and we were privileged to enjoy the latter with the phrasing and pathos in his sensitive and moving performance of the Theme from Schindler’s List, one of four John Williams pieces which concluded the first half, the others being from Star Wars - the Main Theme, Princess Leila’s Theme and The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme). Brass and timpani clearly enjoyed these modern pieces. Weber Oberon overture and Delius La Calinda opened the first half of this most enjoyable concert, but it was the magnificence of Tchaikovsky 4 which sent the audience – and no doubt the orchestra – home on a ‘high’. Well done, Leamington Sinfonia; you deserve a much larger audience.

David Lowe, Leamington Sinfonia Patron