Llanelli Chamber Orchestra’s Spring Concert

By Gareth Cornfield

The Llanelli Chamber Orchestra got their season off to a terrific start on Saturday, 29th March at Glenalla Civic Hall.

They are made up of musicians from the Llanelli, Swansea, Neath and Carmarthen areas.

Having been established a number of years ago, they were, in 2011, re-established by their

current Musical Director and Conductor David John.

The Orchestra perform a number of concerts through the year and do not shy away from

tackling both established classics and modern works.

The leader of the Orchestra is Lynwen Jones, who always does a superb job, even

announcing the raffle at the interval!

The programme for Saturday started with Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte overture. This was played

with the gusto so appropriate to this piece and shows that they do not ease themselves into

a performance. The Overture gives a taste of the themes to come and the presto themes

race ahead in hectic tempo, ably controlled by David John’s baton.

The second piece was Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor. The soloist for this was the

Aberystwyth born Xenia Porteous, who brought along her own supporters. Xenia left a career in finance to concentrate on her music, a wise decision. No-one ever delights at

hearing a financier! The concerto was finished in 1844 and includes violin acrobatics that

had impressed Mendelssohn when watching other musicians, including a leap on the E

string up to three octaves above middle C. Ferdinand David, a contemporary of

Mendelssohn & a concert master said of the concerto., “It completely fulfils all the demands

one can make of a violin concerto – violinists cannot be too grateful to you for this gift. I

myself have always wished that I could write such a concerto.” The performance was a

delight and Xenia received a standing ovation.

Following the interval, the string section returned for Mendelssohn’s String Sinfonia No.10

in B minor. This starts slowly and builds to a dramatic conclusion.

This was followed by a work for string orchestra by a composer with which I was unfamiliar,

the Norwegian, Ole Bull.

Ole’s father wished for him to become a minister, but he desired a musical career. At the

age of four or five, he could play all of the songs he had heard his mother play on the violin.

At age nine, he played first violin in the orchestra of Bergen’s theatre and was a soloist with

the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. At eighteen, he was sent to the University of

Christiania, but failed his examinations. He joined the Musical Lyceum, a musical society,

and after its director Waldemar Thrane took ill, Bull became the director of Musical Lyceum

and the Theater Orchestra in 1828. The piece chosen by the orchestra was, “The Chalet

Girl’s Sunday”, a lovely piece in which the string section excelled.

The rest of the orchestra returned for the concert finale, Joseph Haydn’s Symphony no. 104

in D major, the “London” symphony.

By this time the orchestra was fully in its stride and had visibly relaxed into the concert. The

playing was beautiful and expressive.

All in all, a lovely evening with good music performed well. The audience was very

appreciative and enjoyed every minute and minuet.

The Orchestra’s next performance will be on Saturday 5th

July at the Glenalla Civic Hall.

I recommend that you come along for a musical treat.