Eastern Daily Press
Monday, March 14th, 2005

Norfolk Symphony Orchestra/James Stobart/Richard Harwood
Corn Exchange, King's Lynn : Sunday, March 13th, 2005

Cellist tackles pressure with great aplomb

"A young soloist must experience extra pressure when performing a high-profile concerto forever associated with a predecessor as renowned as Jacqueline du Pre. But 25-year-old cellist Richard Harwood showed no sign of apprehension and delivered the Elgar favourite with great aplomb.

Knowing that he played the work when he made his BBC Radio 3 debut at the age of 13, it was no surprise that he gave a splendid virtuoso performance. As usual, the NSO programmes its concerts to provide plenty of interest and contrast.

After the melancholy of the cello concerto, the audience was thrust into the hurly-burly of Bruckner's Fourth Symphony, the Romantic, Conductor James Stobart harnessed the orchestra's power to interpret the complexities of Bruckner's marathon work. The musicians, especially in the woodwind section and the horns - coped well with the demands of the symphony which must have left them, as well as the audience, tired but happy. Alison CrooseThat's great entertainment."

Alison Croose