Lynn News
Tuesday, March 15th, 2005

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

One of our greatest young talents joins NSO

"PROBABLY the greatest young talent since Jacqueline Du Pre was how The Strad described Sunday's soloist with the Norfolk Symphony Orchestra, cellist Richard Harwood.

At his concert at Lynn Corn Exchange he was appropriately playing the work which Miss Du Pre made so much her own, in a recording that is generally regarded as definitive, Elgar's Cello Concerto.

This in no way implies that he endeavoured to reproduce her reading. What we were given on Sunday was completely Richard Harwood.

His smooth, mellow, tone and clarity of fingering was moving and emotional, and the Norfolk Symphony Orchestra was on top form, as James Stobart drew from them a sympathetic accompaniment.

The concert was opened by the short prelude by Richard Strauss, Feierlicher Einzug (the programme notes telling us that James Stobart conducted the first LP recording of this piece). This is a rich, majestic work, which makes great use of the brass section of the orchestra.

Before the Elgar, leader Jane Foottit introduced a moment of humour in assisting those attempting to level the stool for the soloist. She achieved the desired effect by the simple expedient of placing a spare score under two of the legs of the stool. After an expression which clearly said "takes a woman", she received a round of applause!

The second half of the concert was given over to a work with which I am not familiar, Bruckner's massive symphony No 4. Coincidentally, it opens with an exact inversion of the notes which opened the opening Strauss piece.

The work has many themes and tunes, which are passed from section to section, the brass once again taking the bulk of the work. There were many dynamic changes in the work, almost an hour in length, but although exhausting and tiring to Orchestra and audience alike, this was a great performance, and credit is due to the orchestra for the quality of playing throughout."

David Johnson