David Cheetham

The concert started with the Elgar Spirit of England which kicks in right at the beginning with a huge choral surge. It is actually a sensitive interpretation of these words, and carefully written to allow the chorus’s words to sound out clearly. The only trouble is that it is difficult to take the words seriously nowadays! Geraldine McGreevy was an ideal choice of soloist for this voluptuous music, and there was elegant singing from the semichorus.

The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly The Planets.
Mars was intensely coloured. The playing was frenetic with no sense of being sparing with the climaxes. It was a terrifying vision, wringing out every ounce of terror and desolation and it sounded fantastic in this building! Venus was an utter contrast with immaculate horn and flute playing - a very good balance of the elements in this complicated music, obviously rehearsed meticulously with so much audible detail. It is an amazing composition, out of the simplest material; how could Holst not have realised that this was great music? Mercury  was not the usual mad scamper but intensely clear while Jupiter was joyful with real touches of humour. Saturn was a cold, hypnotic rendition, full of deep mystery, Uranus a  funny, galumphing play with  mock heroics and very loud climaxes.  In Neptune the magical flutes lead once again. So much is just shifting colours – barely audible harps and bells – with no discernable melody or rhythm. I cannot praise the sopranos highly enough who produced a perfectly even tuneful tone, and a more effective awe-inspiring diminuendo al niente than I have ever heard. Adrian conducts with great authority, giving clear information to the orchestra and at the same time inspiring both them and the audience.

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