This Spring Concert by Hampshire County Youth Chamber Orchestra was performed to raise funds for The Hampshire Foundation for Young Musicians, a charity that aims to advance the music education of young people in Hampshire by providing financial awards to young musicians to help with musical studies, courses, performances, projects and training. More information is available here.
Hampshire County Youth Chamber Orchestra conducted by Carl Clausen – leader L Broad
The evening opened with Overture to Naïs by Jean-Philippe Rameau. This showed students using ‘historically informed practice’ with natural trumpets, wooden timpani sticks and baroque string bows.
Hampshire String Quartet performed by L Broad, Z Pilsworth, L Field and R Jackson
The Hampshire String Quartet delighted us with a light and bouncy Canzonetta, the second movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No 1 which he composed in 1829.
Viola solo: Viola concerto in D Major, op 1 by Carl Philipp Stamitz performed by L Field on viola and T Jesty on piano
This concerto, composed in 1774 was the first of three viola concertos that the virtuoso Stamitz composed in a Mozart derivative style. We enjoyed this performance of the second movement, the Andante moderato.
Oboe solo: Four personalities by Alyssa Morris performed by H Crowdry on oboe and T Jesty on piano
This 2007 work by American composer Alyssa Morris was in four movements each based on a personality type from the Hartman Personality Test and each associated with a different colour. We were treated to iridescent performances of the BLUE and YELLOW movements.
Hampshire County Youth Orchestra conducted by Carl Clausen – leader L Broad
The orchestra took us up to the interval with a short piece called Entre Les Sauvages by Jean-Philippe Rameau, taken from his opera Les Indes Galantes. This piece was a delightful mix of sprightly and stately and was an excellent vehicle for showcasing the performers’ development of their authentic historical practice.
Following the interval Hampshire County Youth Orchestra performed Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 by Ludwig van Beethoven. This was in four movements:
I. Adagio molto – allegro con brio
II. Larghetto
III. Scherzo and Trio: Allegro
IV. Allegro molto