The Bath Festival Orchestra, founded by Yehudi Menuhin in 1959, was relaunched in 2021 to become once again the Bath Festival’s resident orchestra. Already, Peter Manning is clearly doing great things here with these young, early-career players.
The orchestra talk about “placing the education and training of future musicians at the forefront of everything”. Most ensembles engage in education work, often as a funding prerequisite, but it frequently happens behind the scenes. But tonight, students from Newham’s Bobby Moore Academy were front and centre, performing in the middle of the programme. So they got a true concert-performing experience, and we got to see the education work in practice. They performed two pieces, the first, Secrecy Surrounds, drawing on their own poems inspired by the Britten Serenade, and another inspired by Louise Farrenc’s Symphony no. 2. Both made great use of the mixed instrumentation and abilities, with some strong, rhythmic pizzicato from strings, melodic wind playing and energetic brass, as well as lively percussion, all performed with impressive proficiency and drive. It was great to see such valuable work at the heart of the evening.
Before that, tenor Robin Tritschler replaced an indisposed Thomas Walker, joining Ben Goldscheider for Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings. Goldscheider’s opening Prologue set the scene with commanding control and confident tone, all the more expertly in the Elegy’s closing bars, moving seamlessly in and out of muting. His athletic virtuosity in the demanding Hymn was matched ably by Tritschler’s nimble agility. Tritscher’s tone was bright and clear, with a floating lightness at the top (where most of Britten’s setting sits) which nevertheless matched the horn and strings without ever feeling pushed. There could have been a little more aggression from the strings in the Elegy to match the horn’s darkness, more confident accenting in the Sonnet, and greater clarity in the fugal writing of the Dirge, but Manning controlled the dynamic balance well throughout, and their ensemble was tight. Goldscheider’s perfect off-stage Epilogue concluded a highly atmospheric performance.
Manning left the orchestra to their own devices for the Corelli, with the concertino group confidently taking the lead – Marin Bosma (concertmaster, violin), Vera Beumer (violin) and Nina Kiva (cello). The opening movement began with bright, singing violins, and they avoided over-milking the Adagio’s suspensions (one of the key elements in Tippett’s Fantasia that followed later). Elsewhere, there was sensitivity and lightness of touch, the trio injected great energy in the faster sections, and there was good communication and enthusiasm from the whole team throughout.
When it came to the Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli, the BFO players excelled, managing the complexities of Tippett's writing with accuracy and precision throughout. As the Corelli material is stretched to the limit, creating cascading, crashing rhythms particularly in the two solo violin parts, the players clearly enjoyed the interplay, and the multiple divisions in the main body of the orchestra caused no lapses in ensemble. I have rarely heard a more insightful and tight reading of this work, which sadly often fails to rise above an intellectual exercise.
For Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, they found a richer string sound, and once loose ensemble at the opening was out of the way, they adapted well to the contrasting characters of the variations. An energetically scurrying March was followed by a sweeping Romance, and they relished the Aria italiano’s guitar-like pizzicato and racing melodies. But it was the Wiener Waltzer that stood out, with drunken swing, and balletic filigree from the violins on top. All told, these young players, under the tight direction of Manning, demonstrated arresting command of these string orchestra gems.
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