BEETHOVEN AND BRUCH AT WEST ROAD
Remember the clergyman’s report on his breakfast egg? ‘It was good in parts’. This came to mind when listening to the latest concert given by the Cambridge Graduate Orchestra. It had many high spots but a few bits that disappointed. The principal conductor Philip Howie led the grad band in three very chunky pieces. First off was Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture. This is music drama at its most dramatic. Mr B’s work paints a chilling musical portrait of the Roman general who tried and failed in his attempted conquest of the eternal city only to end up killing himself. Not much fun but plenty of beefy orchestrations, grandiose themes and thumping chords. The orchestra did well and provided plenty of Ludwig van Thump.
The next work is a great favourite: Bruch’s Violin Concerto in G Minor. The soloist was Cambridge student, Jiaqi Cao. The young man is a formidable fiddler and clearly loved every minute of the concert limelight. He beamed and swayed and smiled at mates in the audience. None of that took away his virtuosity and ability to bring out Bruch’s gorgeous melodies. He was at his best in the third movement with its happy dance tunes and vibrant sense of fun. His cheery countenance was such a change from the usual po-faced personas we normally see on the classical music stage. His joy was infectious. That said the orchestra was not always at its best with some questionable notes and timid timings. That took nothing away from the much deserved cheers at the end, a bunch of flowers from, I guess, Cao’s mum. He rewarded us with a short encore, a piece by Paganini arranged by our soloist for string quartet.
The second half was dominated by Beethoven’s Third Symphony the ‘Eroica’. It had many highlights but the grads were not at their best and sounded a bit ropey in places. Happily the final triumphant movement was well played and we all left with a smile in our hearts. There was one member of the strings section who was smiling more than most – yes, it was Jiaqi Cao putting in a very long night. Any clergyman would describe him as a very good egg.
