In Memoriam: Strauss and Brahms from the Soloists of the Oxford Philharmonic

By Jason Weir, 12 November 2017

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Reviewed at Holywell Music Room, Oxford on 11 November 2017

Brahms, String Sextet no. 2 in G major, Op.36

Webern, Langsamer Satz

Strauss R., Metamorphosen

The Strings of the Oxford Philharmonic

Apollonian radiance and women scorned: the Britten Sinfonia at Snape

Roy Westbrook, 18th June

Hell holds no fury like a woman scorned, and it was certainly so in Greek mythology, celebrated in this outstanding Aldeburgh Festival performance by the Britten Sinfonia and Helen Charlston.

*****

Black American music finds a new voice at the Concertgebouw

Clare Varney, 18th June

Dutch premieres, new faces and new arrangements result in a concert quite unlike any other from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Antony Hermus.

****1

Improvisatory Gershwin from Ryan Wang with Chromatica Orchestra

Nick Boston, 17th June

Energetic yet atmospheric performances from Chromatica Orchestra, with Ingunn Korsgård Hagen providing firm yet spirited direction.

****1

A perfect landing with Harding and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Mengguang Huang, 17th June

Håkan Hardenberger joins the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Daniel Harding for a thrilling night concluding with a breathtaking, high-energy Beethoven Four.

****1

Poise over fire: McGegan, Chen and the Orchestra of St Luke’s

Edward Sava-Segal, 16th June

A late substitution turns a violinist-led showcase into a polished, orchestra-centred Bach Festival evening at Carnegie Hall.

***11

Quatuor Diotima and Stéphane Degout haunt Wigmore Hall

Christopher Woodley, 15th June

An enterprising trio of works by Ligeti, Respighi and Schoeck leave a lasting impression of oppression, alienation and dark nights of the soul.

*****

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Jason Weir

Jason completed a PhD in music history at Oxford University in 2023. His research focused on the development of suburban folk and popular music in late 19th-century Vienna alongside a social and political history of noise. Jason gained his MMus degree from King’s College London, supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. He has taught and written about the history of the symphony in the 19th and 20th centuries, musical modernism in Vienna, and broader cultural trends in Europe around 1900. Jason is currently lead violinist for Sinfonia Tamesa and guest led Kensington Symphony Orchestra in their 2015-16 season.