An enjoyable rare Thursday night concert at Sheffield City Hall with the visiting Prague Symphony .
A rather predictable programme of two Czech works with a great concerto in the middle of the sandwich.
A bleeding chunk albeit not the usual one from Ma Vlast opened proceedings - Sarka - characterfully played but still a chunk .
Much the highlight of the night was to follow Beethoven's Violin Concerto with Chloe Hanslip . This one time child prodigy has become a mature talent . It was perhaps an account traditionally paced for some and indeed there was a real sense of stillness and rapture in the Larghetto but a steady pulse prevailed throughout and there was some very fine woodwind playing .
Hanslip is a bit of a protege of Ida Haendel and it showed . No routine phrasing but endlessly varying her tone and secure intonation throughout . She played the cadenzas Kreisler I think superbly and the finale really danced as it seldom does .
I have mixed feelings about the Dvorak 8 that followed the interval . It was played with a great deal of energy and virtuosity especially from the woodwind , brass and lower strings but I felt that much was passing us by and it was bring played as if a concerto for orchestra . The audience loved it and we were treated to two Slavonic Dances as encores that were dispatched with aplomb .
I think they are in Leeds with the same programme on Saturday and well worth going to especially for Hanslip .
PS got home and have put on the LSO/Kertesz 8 and have had my feelings confirmed - the concert performance very unsubtle in comparison .
A rather predictable programme of two Czech works with a great concerto in the middle of the sandwich.
A bleeding chunk albeit not the usual one from Ma Vlast opened proceedings - Sarka - characterfully played but still a chunk .
Much the highlight of the night was to follow Beethoven's Violin Concerto with Chloe Hanslip . This one time child prodigy has become a mature talent . It was perhaps an account traditionally paced for some and indeed there was a real sense of stillness and rapture in the Larghetto but a steady pulse prevailed throughout and there was some very fine woodwind playing .
Hanslip is a bit of a protege of Ida Haendel and it showed . No routine phrasing but endlessly varying her tone and secure intonation throughout . She played the cadenzas Kreisler I think superbly and the finale really danced as it seldom does .
I have mixed feelings about the Dvorak 8 that followed the interval . It was played with a great deal of energy and virtuosity especially from the woodwind , brass and lower strings but I felt that much was passing us by and it was bring played as if a concerto for orchestra . The audience loved it and we were treated to two Slavonic Dances as encores that were dispatched with aplomb .
I think they are in Leeds with the same programme on Saturday and well worth going to especially for Hanslip .
PS got home and have put on the LSO/Kertesz 8 and have had my feelings confirmed - the concert performance very unsubtle in comparison .
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