Another wonderful Newbury Spring Festival draws to a close with the traditional big orchestral concert
Newbury Spring Festival: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Stephen Barlow
at St Nicolas’ Church, Newbury
on Saturday, May 26
Review by FIONA BENNETT
The closing night of the 45th Newbury Spring Festival promised great things, in the shape of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stephen Barlow and featuring the wondrous voice of mezzo-soprano Christine Rice. Sadly, Christine was unable to sing due to ill-health and so I’m guessing the behind-the-scenes team went into overdrive and unsurprisingly, managed to procure another excellent singer at the last minute, Claire Barnett-Jones.
I may be wrong, but given the unexpected change of soloist, I wonder whether the afternoon rehearsal focused mainly on the five poems by Mathilde Wesendocnk, set to music by German composer Richard Wagner. I say this because the overture to Weber’s opera Oberon wasn’t of the polished standard of the songs or the symphony in the second half. I sympathise with the plight of visiting symphony orchestras because it’s impossible to seat everyone in the traditional way, with the back few desks of first violins out on a limb, the timpani a long way from the brass and horns and I can only imagine how tricky it can be to project that togetherness when everyone is so far apart.
Claire took to the stage, every inch the glamorous opera star, dressed from head to toe in emerald green spangles and she gave us a very moving and beautiful performance of the Wagner. The string section sounded rich and lush and my particular favourite Stehe still! with its delicious recurring viola and ‘cello motif, tore at our heartstrings every time it came around. No wonder Claire was awarded the Dame Joan Sutherland Audience Prize at Cardiff Singer of the World in 2021. She really did save the day and we so enjoyed her contribution to the final night of the 2024 festival.
Is there a single classical music fan who doesn’t love Sibelius’s second symphony? The opening pulsating chords from the strings always set my heart a flutter, knowing what’s to come. The sparkling woodwind floating above, the bright, exciting trumpet fanfares and of course, THAT build up to the most incredible melody in the fourth and final movement. Interestingly, although it’s a piece which conjures up the snowy landscapes of the composer’s native Finland, the symphony started life during a trip to Italy in 1901 and some commentators detect a touch of this balmy, southerly country in his brilliant music.
However you perceive it, the symphony brought about rapturous applause from the St Nic’s audience and both conductor and orchestra looked suitably pleased at our reaction to their closing piece.
It’s been a wonderful festival.
