PAST CONCERTS

CONCERT PROGRAMME 2 Sunday 14 October 2018 at 16.00 Cornerstone Arts Centre, 25 Station Road, Didcot OX11 7NE
Following our very successful inaugural concert in February 2018, we begin our second concert with a rare gem by Croydon composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor at the suggestion of Elgar. We follow this with Elgar's immortal Cello Concerto – practically his last work, and full of mourning for a lost world after the first world war. Soloist Jacqueline Johnson then treats us to an orchestration by world-famous cellist Lynn Harrell of Victor Herbert's short piano piece "Yesterthoughts", and we end the concert with Dvorak's happy and tuneful Sixth Symphony.
	Coleridge-Taylor	Ballade in A minor
	Elgar	Cello Concerto (Jacqueline Johnson)
	Herbert	Yesterthoughts (Jacqueline Johnson)
	Dvorak	Symphony no 6 in D
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Orchestra 49 Audience 144
Read concert review by Andrew Bell

CONCERT PROGRAMME 1 Sunday 11 February 2018 at 16.00 Cornerstone Arts Centre, 25 Station Road, Didcot OX11 7NE
Our inaugural concert! An afternoon of classical music with Didcot's very own and brand new symphony orchestra, playing music from the late Romantic era. Ballet lovers especially will recognise Ponchielli's charming "Dance of the Hours" with its changing moods and catchy tunes depicting the times of the day. French composer César Franck's highly melodic and atmospheric symphonic poem "Psyché" offers a unique chance to hear this rarely performed but tuneful gem. The concert concludes with Brahms' incomparable and sunny Second Symphony, replete with fresh inventive melodies, colourful orchestration, and tunes you'll go home humming.
	Bushell	A Didcot Fanfare
	Ponchielli	Dance of the Hours
	Franck	Symphonic Poem: Psyché
	Brahms	Symphony no 2 in D
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Orchestra 46 Audience 157
Congratulations! A brilliant debut. Overall there was great ensemble, great tuning and many individual contributions. The very dry acoustics of the venue worked against the woodwind most of all, so more soloistic playing would help them project their sound. More communication between wind and strings will come as they get to know one another, and get used to playing in this challenging acoustic. The highlight for me was the string pianissimos, and the Brahms, apart from a few technical passages, was a tour de force. Geoff and Jackie have done a great job in putting together an orchestra of this quality and I'm very much looking forward to the Dvorak in October. The orchestra successfully combines the performance of professional players with the enthusiasm of amateurs, resulting in a very lively performance. The cello section is particularly impressive producing a great sound. I hope that the current, and planned, expansion of Didcot and its surrounding area, will offer opportunities for both new players and new audiences. Tim Cook