North Downs Sinfonia Autumn Concert - A Tribute to Peter Warner
10 November 2007 Tatsfield Village Hall
| Conductor: | Jerry Lanning |
| Leader: | Sylvia Seaton |
| Violin Soloist: | Gillian Ripley |
It was a double pleasure to be invited to attend this concert and to write a review, because I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with both the conductor, Jerry Lanning, and also the person to whom this concert was a tribute - well-known Tatsfield resident Peter Warner, who sadly passed away after a short illness in September.
Peter was of course one of the founders of this orchestra some three years ago, and of the North Downs Wind Quintet two years previously. However, I knew him as the enthusiastic and endearing clarinettist who sat next to me in the Bacchus Wind Band, based in West Kent. He will be fondly remembered by all players, for the passion that he brought to everything that he did, for his encouragement and advice, especially with young people, for his sense of humour and for his love of a good pint of beer!
As well as being a gifted musician, he was also an accomplished table tennis player and a brilliant professional artist and illustrator. Examples of his artistic work were on display at the back of the village hall during this concert, reminding us of the enormous talent that he possessed and of the not inconsiderable number of feline advertising and product icons that he created, and which have become internationally well-known images.
I first met Jerry Lanning nearly 30 years ago, when we were both involved in music publishing. Recently our paths crossed again when I was invited to play in a chamber music session that Jerry was to conduct. What struck me 30 years ago, and still does today, is his fine musicianship coupled with an extensive knowledge and extraordinary understanding of all instruments.
These skills were abundantly displayed at this most enjoyable concert in Tatsfield, an event that lived up to all expectations and which was enjoyed by an almost full house. The evening started with a moving speech in memory of Peter by his friend and co-founder of the orchestra, flautist David Preston, who then announced an addition to the programme - one of Peter's favourite pieces, the popular and beautiful adagio from Mozart's clarinet concerto. The soloist was Amanda Curd, who played this sublimely lyrical movement with great musicality, and the delicate interplay between soloist and orchestra was sensitively achieved by the conductor.
We then moved on to the published programme, which was to be all Beethoven, starting with his overture to the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. This is quite a short overture and a relatively early work, but one with which the composer was clearly pleased, as musical material from it later appeared in his Eroica symphony and Eroica Variations for piano. The stately opening demonstrated well the strong, rich tone of the string section. This soon moved to a more lively section, which featured some fine accented playing from the woodwind and brass.
Next came Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D. The premiere of this concerto in 1806 was not a success, and it was little performed during Beethoven's lifetime. However it was revived in the 1840s and, ever since, it has been regarded as one of the most important works of the violin concerto repertoire. For this performance we were privileged to have Gillian Ripley as soloist. Originally from Kent, Gillian has carved out a successful musical career for herself as a soloist, orchestral player and teacher, and after a few bars it was not difficult to see why.
During the long first movement we heard some lovely sweet playing from the soloist, and some impressively virtuosic double stopping in the cadenza. Her playing was accompanied sympathetically by the orchestra, and featured some fine lyrical playing from the woodwind. Muted strings started the second movement leading to some serenely beautiful solo passages on the violin, again accompanied by the woodwind. A wonderfully rich tone came from the lower strings of her instrument. The third movement was played at a modest speed, bringing the first half of the concert to a magnificent close with some fine playing from both the soloist and the orchestra and excellent direction from the conductor.
The second half started with some of the woodwind and brass players having swapped between first and second, which is always nice to see, and consisted of Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A, which I have to admit was the piece to which I was looking forward the most, it being my favourite Beethoven symphony. I was not disappointed. In the first movement, the orchestra managed the wonderful transition from the slow introduction into the main theme - vivace - brilliantly, and continued with some skilful and energetic playing of this exuberant music. For me, the jewel of the symphony is the second movement. Who could think that such a masterpiece could spring from an opening melody of which the first 12 notes are identical? But when the beautiful counter melody comes in, you know you are listening to Beethoven's genius at its best. Taking the movement at a fairly fast pace, the orchestra gave a memorable account under the conductor's skilful direction. The racing momentum and impatience of the third movement - Presto - was captured magnificently, leading to the mighty fourth movement. This was not played at a break-neck speed, as if often the case, but succeeded nonetheless in generating all the excitement for which this movement is renowned. The huge triple forte climaxes demonstrated just what a fine sound this orchestra makes and brought the concert to a triumphant end, rewarded by prolonged applause from the appreciative audience.
It is remarkable that a village the size of Tatsfield can muster such talent, and its residents are fortunate indeed to be able to enjoy such high quality music making in the heart of the village. The programme notes told us that a special fund - The Peter Warner Fund - has been set up to enable his many projects and ambitions to continue to flourish. One such project is to make improvements to the equipment and venues used by the North Downs Sinfonia, including the Tatsfield Village Hall where there are plans to improve the acoustics, lighting and staging arrangements, none of which are particularly suited to orchestral playing. Having listened to this concert, I commend this to you as a most worthy cause, both for the benefit of Tatsfield and the surrounding area, and also in memory of a remarkable man who this reviewer feels honoured to have known.
I wish North Downs Sinfonia every success for the future.
Clive Russell