Llanelli Chamber Orchestra Concert Saturday 5th July

By Gareth Cornfield

On Saturday 5th July, I had the pleasure of attending the Glenalla Civic Hall, Llanelli for a concert by the Llanelli Chamber Orchestra.

This is the penultimate concert of their year, the last being in early December.

The concert was put in jeopardy by the illness of their conductor, David John. He has been unable to work with the orchestra for a while but attended the concert as an honoured guest. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

David should feel both proud of his achievement in getting the orchestra into such a condition that they could perform as well as they did. He should also feel worried that they did so well without him. This was, in no small part, due to the orchestra’s leader, Lynwen Jones. She carried out the duties of principal violinist; orchestra leader & conductor. She even drew the raffle!

The evening got underway with Mozart’s, “The Marriage of Figaro” overture. This is a lively start to a concert. Mozart wrote it in a matter of hours, just before the first performance of the opera. Unusually, it does not feature the themes from the opera, seemingly being used to set the pace & get the audience ready for what was to come. More Mozart followed in the shape of Symphony No.35 in D major, the “Haffner”.

The first half drew to a close with Vivaldi’s Concerto in E minor for Four Violins and Orchestra. The soloists were: Lynwen Jones, Lyn Morgan, Owen Morgan & Anne-Marie Marks. The solos were delightful with themes from the main melody being passed between them, sometimes played as a round, with the resultant cascade effect singing in the grand hall.

The second half of the concert opened with “Fantasia on ‘Greensleeves’” by Vaughan-Williams. This is taken from Vaughan-Williams’ 1929 opera, ‘Sir John in Love’, based on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor. The piece borrows the themes from the traditional tune Greensleeves’, reputedly composed by Henry XIII, and combining it with other folk song themes. The melody weaves its way through the orchestra in a delightful fashion.

The finale was Beethoven’s Symphony No.1 in C Major, Op.21. Whilst we view Classical Music as an old form, it is worth trying to think how it was receive d in its time. This piece was a bold composition from someone at the cutting edge of the music world. Beethoven used metronome markings to dictate the pace of the music, as well as the slightly more vague Italian descriptors. He changed the way that symphonies were written, using different orchestrations and tempi. The orchestra played with aplomb.

It is necessary to remind oneself that you are listening to an amateur orchestra, made up of enthusiasts who devote their spare time to practicing and playing. Such is the mark of a good amateur orchestra. I always enjoy the concerts by the Llanelli Chamber Orchestra and would like to see more people there to support them.

Should you wish to support the orchestra on a formal basis, you can take out a subscription for a mere £15 per person, £25 for a couple. This gives you tickets to a series of three concerts, with

programme & raffle ticket included. Such support enables the orchestra to plan ahead with regard to

rehearsal & getting music.

I would heartily endorse coming to a concert. I am sure that you will enjoy.

I hope to see you at the Christmas concert in December.