EUMS: Symphony Orchestra

It's not often that a student society sell out a concert, particularly in a 600-capacity venue. The Music Society’s choice of Carl Orff’s masterpiece Carmina Burana draws in the crowds in a way that must be seen to be believed, but it's their performance which makes the evening.

The night opens with Mikhail Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Ludmila. The opening’s most remarkable feature is the orchestra’s fantastic utilisation of the awkward acoustics. The soft, warm sound grasps the audience and brings out the full potential of the work as well as the ensemble. The overture is paired well with the following Symphony, Alexander Borodin’s second. The work comes across nicely, the third movement in particular displaying beautiful tones from the wind. Elsewhere in the work some of the energy seems lost to the massive space which shows the choice of venue as perhaps not the best. This is most apparent in the fourth movement, but the symphony is brought to a close confidently and gives way to the growing anticipation of the second half.

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana seems like an unusual contrast to the distinctly Russian first half, but it’s good news that a full performance was undertaken - especially by a student society - as it gives us a chance to see the piece’s full potential, beyond the most famous first and last movements. In truth it seems, the work is an amalgamation of many contrasting and complex elements. The Symphony orchestra demonstrate these well - they relish the opening bars, and elsewhere the strings provide a united and well balanced accompaniment. Wind solos carry well around the massive church and the brass provide an adequate element of fiery excitement. The sizeable chorus show commendable understanding of the separate elements of the piece, and a real grasp of the genre. Soprano soloist Louise Alder captivates every member of the audience with her strong and passionate performance. Countertenor Joseph Payne and baritone Stephen Alder complete the performance with their engaging solos, encompassing the character as well as the music. Aside from the curious programming and unfortunate acoustics, it’s fair to say that the 600 lucky ticket holders in the audience were given exactly what they had waited for.