Reviews

Staring into the abyss of time can be a chastening experience. Sometimes it gazes back at you. Was it really 40 years ago that this fine amateur orchestra performed what was to have been a one-off concert at Cardiff’s St David’s Cathedral? It seems like only yesterday. In another 40 years, many of those in the audience for this celebratory concert will be listening to celestial orchestras with the angels somewhere above the clouds.

There were some heavenly moments in this well-structured concert, not least in the second half which was taken up by Rachmaninov’s towering Symphony No 2. Michael Bell, founder and conductor of the orchestra was his usual matter-of-fact, amusing and informative self as he introduced each of the three pieces that made up the concert.

The first two works–Cardiff Bay Overture, by Welsh composer Gareth Wood, and Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F–were pieces of their times. The Rachmaninov symphony was timeless. Mr Bell has a fondness for film music, and the orchestra’s regular film music concerts have proved to be among its most popular over the 40 years.

Cardiff Bay Overture, composed to mark the setting up of the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, had about it the feel of a film score, with broad brushstrokes of stirring music painting pictures of the industrial and cultural history of the waterfront area.

Elegance and panache There were suggestions of Jerome Morris’ score for The Big Country, or Elmer Berstein’s music for The Magnificent Seven, as the orchestra swept us along on a tide of optimism and success.

What was perhaps missing were a few glimpses of the less happy times in the history of Tiger Bay and what it was transformed into.

Italian pianist Gabriele Strata stepped in at almost the eleventh hour to replace the indisposed Martin James Bartlett to play Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F. Everything turned out to be alright on the night.

Dressed in what I would bet was a brightly coloured made-to-measure Italian suit, Mr Strata played with a corresponding elegance and panache, approaching the piece with serious intent, but also with an engaging sense of playfulness.

Given the strictly limited rehearsal time, soloist and orchestra worked together with impressive elan with Mr Bell gently encouraging his orchestra to join the soloist in capturing the 1920s jazz era ambience of the music.

The playing of the Adagio second movement was deftly handled by both soloist and orchestra, allowing each the freedom to express themselves in an almost improvisatory way.

They showed great respect for the music which is much closer to a classical concerto than Gershwin’s better-known Rhapsody in Blue.

Mr Bell promised us some dazzling playing by Mr Strata, and this was certainly the case in the final movement, marked Allegretto agitato.

It didn’t agitate the audience, but rather had many of them on their feet in noisy appreciation. They needed to calm down, and Mr Strata helped them to do so with his encore, a delicate account of one of Schumann’s Night Pieces.

Blaze of glory

The concert ended with one of the orchestra’s favourite symphonies over the past four decades, Rachmaninov’s Symphony No 2 in E minor.

If, as TS Eliot suggests, time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future, this is the piece that will forever define this orchestra.

There were echoes of the orchestra’s interpretation of the piece at past concerts, and hints of how they might play it in the future. For the present, this was a splendidly paced and marvellously controlled and executed performance. All time is irredeemable, but the memory of this performance will be something to cherish.

The orchestra’s love of the piece shone through, especially in the dark and brooding first movement and the in sublime Adagio third movement.

It was in that third movement that Mr Bell briefly put down his baton to better shape and mould the orchestra’s sumptuous, burnished playing. Time has its pressures and constraints. Annoyingly, I had to miss the final minutes of the concert because I had to catch my bus back home to Barry.

As the bus arrived at Cardiff Bay, I recalled the Gareth Wood concerto which had opened the concert and imagined how the concert ended in a blaze of glory and anticipation of what the future might hold for this orchestra which is a gem in Cardiff’s cultural crown.

Only time will tell.

Peter Collins NATION CYMRU 26/06/22


Conductor on podium

Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra gives one of its best concerts yet in a gripping and moving performance.

The Leningrad Symphony concert at St David's Hall demonstrated once again how blessed Cardiff is to have such a fine orchestra.

On the evening of August 9, 1942, as German artillery bombarded Leningrad, a ragtag orchestra made up of half-starved musicians gave that besieged city's premiere of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony.

On the evening of June 25, 2016, as Cardiff concert-goers gathered in eager anticipation, an impressive orchestra made up of amateur musicians gave a fine performance of the same work, which is now popularly known as the composer's Leningrad Symphony.

The Leningrad performance must have been been an unforgettable experience. The Cardiff performance was as gripping and moving an interpretation of this monumental symphony as one could wish to witness. This was one of the best concerts the Cardiff Philharmonic has given in St David's Hall over many years and demonstrated once again how blessed the city is to have such a fine orchestra.

It is fair to say that this performance should stand alongside the interpretation of Shostakovich's Symphony No 5 by the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra in this hall last month. Certainly, the Cardiff musicians demonstrated the same level of commitment and understanding of the music as their Russian counterparts.

Conductor Michael Bell harnessed his orchestral forces with calm authority to produce an interpretation that brought to life the circumstances in which it was written by and deepened our understanding of the composer's battle against the tyranny of both Hitler and Stalin.

The playing in all sections of the orchestra was exemplary, not least in the first movement which contrasted the freedom and individuality of the strings with the brutal, relentless rhythms the of the trumpets and timpani.

By the end of the symphony we certainly felt like we had been under siege and had achieved some sort of victory which celebrated the indestructible human spirit.

The concert began with an idiosyncratic and thoughtful interpretation of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by the prize-winning pianist, Alexander Ullman. Ullman put his stamp on the performance from the very beginning. He was alive to every nuance of this popular work, offering fresh insights with a lightness of touch that was impressive and satisfying.

Wales Online Peter Collins 26 June 2016
Portrait of Michael Bell conductor

Impressive range at Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra's latest outing.

The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra latest concert was a fine feast of classics.

Dining out in this age of austerity can be an expensive luxury, which is why many people apparently order two hors d'ouvre and dispense with the more costly main course.

In this mouthwatering concert, Michael Bell and the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra offered us a menu which consisted solely of musical hors d'ouvres. It was a fine feast.

The 10 overtures in the concert were chosen by the orchestra's fans and members of the public. There was an impressive range of musical morsels with something to suit every taste. In the Romantic era especially the overture was a stand alone composition. Here we had the Egmont overture from Beethoven's  "middle period, " and Mendelsohn''s Hebrides Overture, also known as Fingal''s Cave.

If there is one criticism that might be made of this laudable band of amateur players it is that they are sometimes too restrained, playing the notes on the page but not delving deeply into the emotional heart of a piece. So it was in large part with their rendering of Egmont and Fingal's Cave. That said, for much of this concert the orchestra was on top form, especially in its performance of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture and Shostakovich's Festival Overture. Orchestra and conductor drew out the pathos and passion of the piece with admirable subtlety and insight, while the Shostakovich was played with the orchestra's trademark vigour and commitment.

Other highlights included a thoughtful and engrossing account of Sibelius's Karelia Overture, a joyful and vivacious rendition of Bernstein's West Side Story Overture, and a rip-roaring interpretation of Bizet's Carmen Prelude.

The concert ended with the work that topped the poll, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. it was a wonderful performance which more than merited the standing ovation which it received.

The orchestra's next concert on June 25 will feature Shostakovich's mighty Leningrad Symphony. Now that's a rich and fulfilling main meal of a piece to which we can all look forward.

St. David’s Hall, Cardiff,  December 2017 

A Night at the Movies

After a persistent period of proliferating popularity, the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra blessed the punters at St. David’s Hall with another A Night At The Movies performance of pure magic from the silver screen and in particular, from the wonderful head of John Williams, celebrating the upcoming 85th birthday of the composer.

For the first half of the show, CPO-founder and conductor Michael Bell introduced each segment with aplomb, relish and a dose of hokum as the evening progressed – his list of alternative movie titles when translated overseas was a particular highlight. The punters listened and watched in polite awe as the CPO proved to be simply sensational in performing these well-known musical compositions.

We moved from Saving Private Ryan and War Horse’s exhilarating scores to making sure we all put on our emotional slippers for a piece from E.T. Jurassic Park was informatively introduced by Michael, but the CPO eventually danced around the main theme which must have had the punters as tense with anticipation as Jeff Goldblum was watching that cup of water in the film.

The second half of the show was dedicated to the music of Star Wars, taking in Episode IV through to The Force Awakens. Michael, along with an agreeing venue, believed that the first three prequels were probably best forgotten about. It is worth mentioning, and is not at all superfluous to this review, that during a segment from the first Star Wars score, three Stormtroopers and Darth Vader entered St. David’s Hall and stood glaring at the punters in Imperial menace for about 10 minutes, only to leave again and return briefly during the encore to point at us for a bit.

So, as before the interval, the CPO worked their magic, but this time it was different. We were all in it together, with mirth and reckless abandon; we could be nerds, together, just for one night. Thank you, Mr Williams.

BUZZ Magazine. SCOTT PARSONS

CPO 35th Anniversary Concert. 

St. David's Hall, July 2017 

As befits a celebration, the opening item, Festival Prelude (for Organ and Orchestra), by Richard Strauss, at once made a statement. At times very modern in sound, at times lyrical, it nevertheless conveyed a true sense of pomp and ceremony to start proceedings. Especially when five trumpets played from the choir stalls.

A prelude to a wonderful interpretation of Elgars Cello Concerto, brilliantly played by the soloist Stefan Morris. The dramatic opening, so familiar, but always gripping, the next soulful theme in compound triple time, in a minor key, sympathetic orchestral accompaniment giving the soloist a great platform to demonstrate his superb mastery of the cello. Wonderful music.

The final item, An Alpine Symphony, by Richard Strauss is an epic work, with 22 sections. From the quiet opening of Nacht, through the sunrise, gradually climbing the mountain, onwards to Auf dem Gipfel (summit).

This is a great amateur orchestra, with excellent principals, and this work gave every section an opportunity to demonstrate their wonderful musicianship.

Great leadership and control from conductor Michael Bell completed a thoroughly enjoyable musical experience.

Paul Green South Wales Argos 20/07/17
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