"A resounding success" - Burgess Hill Symphony Orchestra in concert

The Burgess Hill Symphony Orchestra (BHSO) under the baton of their conductor Michael (Mike) Stefan Wood has a reputation far and wide. They gave their most recent concert in St Andrews Church, Burgess Hill. It was a packed house and the audience were treated to a fabulous selection of genres. A well balanced programme mixed the familiar with the less familiar and featured works from the late 18th through to the late 20th century. It was a treat.

The evening started resoundingly with Finlandia by Sibelius. From the menacing chords at the onset, to the beautifully poised woodwind-led chorale of the middle section and on to the rhythmic battles of the latter portion of this work, the orchestra thrilled us with their mastery of playing and wide ranging landscape of dynamics and tone.

The next work, in contrast, but brightly refreshing after the intensity of the previous piece, was Mozart’s “Paris” Symphony of 1778 The clarity of line and phrase was excellently achieved, all three movements performed with such precision & effervescence that the composer himself, if he’d been there, would have been delighted.

The work before the interval featured violin soloist Richard Sutcliffe in Ralph Vaughan Williams tender, meditative outpouring, The Lark Ascending. It creates a beautiful sound picture of nature, and its integrated English folk music quotes and soaring violin passages compel audiences. Those violin solos are magical, they are difficult, and they need to be sensitively interpreted. Violinist Richard Sutcliffe had all of this, and furthermore lured the audience tantalisingly into those high altitudes where larks go. The woodwind interjections, the controlled strings, the delicate horn phrases, and so much more, all played their part in leaving us basking in the nostalgic lure of our heritage. It was magical, it was beautiful, it was memorable.

After the interval we were treated to another English composer – Edward Elgar and his Enigma Variations. Mike explained some of the sound quotes Elgar made in this work depicting his friends pictured within. A musical quote for each friend or family member including bicycle bell, family homecoming whistle, the amateur pianist who had a fascination with a three note bass, a bulldog called Dan swimming in the River Wye, a character with a stutter, a vibrating steamer turbine and more. Not only was it explained vividly, but the orchestra illustrated each quote by playing a few bars so that we would know what to listen out for later. And what a treat that listening was. Outstanding is a word we often hear bandied about, but honestly, this was a superb rendition. Mike had painstakingly prepared the performance so that the interpretation was vibrant. The Enigma Variations is Elgar at his best, and the BHSO in this performance were also at their best.

To round off the programme the orchestra chose Danzon No.2. It was written by the contemporary composer Arturo Marquez who draws much of his inspiration from the musical culture of his native Mexico. For an orchestra this is a most satisfying piece to perform as it’s fun to play and shows off their solo technique within the texture accompanied by a powerful & relentless rhythmic propulsion. Every nuance, every accelerando or rallentando was meticulously observed. The composer gives almost every principal instrument its moment of glory, enhanced with bespoke Latin America claves, guiro, tom-toms and more. The percussion and all the orchestra were magnificent in delivering a very convincing Latinesque rendition.

The concert was a resounding success, the long ovation a tribute to the dedication of musicians and conductor alike. If you’ve not heard them yet, I recommend that you go along to their next concert. You’ll love it. Don’t simply believe me, also be guided by the support they are given by their TV celebrity president, Katie Derham, she knows a thing or two about music!

Review by S Evans