An excellent concert at Sheffield City Hall last Saturday- with the Halle's young principal clarinet Sergio Castello Lopez in Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and the Mexican conductor in Beethoven 7 and Falls El Amor Brujo
The Falla had all the character and bounce to the rhythms one might have hoped for and was duly languorous and perfumed in places as it should be. That old chestnut the Ritual Fire dance brought applause in the middle of the piece .
I am not sure whether a big international orchestra might poach Sergio Castello Lopez before long . His outstanding player has been notable since he joined the Halle in 2016 and when he stood up for applause he looked about 18 ! Apparently , he is now 24 and played the Mozart with easy virtuosity and much style without any sentimental stuff in the slowmovement although there was much poetry in his playing. It was one of the best performances of the concerto I have heard- I imagine its a big thing for an orchestral principal to get a chance in the number 1 concerto for their instrument and he took full advantage of it .
The Beethoven 7 was pretty zippy some Hipp manners but properly exciting . Oddly , this work I now seem to enjoy much more in concert than on record - it was not quite up to the outstanding Beethoven 7 we had with Nicholas Collon the other year but it was far from run of the mill .
A concert that greatly exceeded expectations - repeated a number of times already I think and on for the Halle's Wednesday Manchester matinee tomorrow .
The Falla had all the character and bounce to the rhythms one might have hoped for and was duly languorous and perfumed in places as it should be. That old chestnut the Ritual Fire dance brought applause in the middle of the piece .
I am not sure whether a big international orchestra might poach Sergio Castello Lopez before long . His outstanding player has been notable since he joined the Halle in 2016 and when he stood up for applause he looked about 18 ! Apparently , he is now 24 and played the Mozart with easy virtuosity and much style without any sentimental stuff in the slowmovement although there was much poetry in his playing. It was one of the best performances of the concerto I have heard- I imagine its a big thing for an orchestral principal to get a chance in the number 1 concerto for their instrument and he took full advantage of it .
The Beethoven 7 was pretty zippy some Hipp manners but properly exciting . Oddly , this work I now seem to enjoy much more in concert than on record - it was not quite up to the outstanding Beethoven 7 we had with Nicholas Collon the other year but it was far from run of the mill .
A concert that greatly exceeded expectations - repeated a number of times already I think and on for the Halle's Wednesday Manchester matinee tomorrow .
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