Review by Geoffrey Mogridge: Ilkley Chamber Orchestra at All Saints Parish Church, Ilkley, Sunday, July 20th, 2025
A summer storm with torrential rain failed to dampen either the spirit of the Pride Festival in a jam packed Leeds city centre, or a capacity audience at All Saints church last Sunday afternoon.
An attractive programme of works by Prokofiev, Strauss and Mozart all sharing the optimistic key of D major, made up the enticing bill of fare. Sergei Prokofiev composed his Symphony No 1 in D, known as his Classical Symphony, in the turbulent years of 1916-17 with the violence of the February Revolution on the streets of St Petersburg.
Mozart's influence is evident in Prokofiev's light and airy scoring of this beguiling four-movement symphony which last for just 15 minutes. Ilkley Chamber Orchestra, conducted by John Anderson, captured the elegance of the Gavotte and the exuberance of those outer movements, concluding with a fast-paced bustling finale to this most enduring of Prokofiev's symphonies.
Richard Strauss composed his Oboe Concerto in D in 1945, towards the end of World War ll. This wistful concerto and his valedictory Four Last Songs marked the final chapter of a distinguished career. The former shares with the latter a mood of longing for times forever gone, but the nostalgia is never mawkish.
Yearning phrases are punctuated with piquant harmonies in Strauss's consummate writing for the soloist and small orchestra in this lovely work of around 25 minutes duration.
Welsh oboist Matthew Jones who has a busy international career, played the virtuosic solo part. Matthew's velvety tone, his fluidity and those eloquent yearning phrases, were the hallmarks of this fine performance conducted by John Anderson.
Following interval refreshments, Mozart's 'Prague' Symphony No 38 in D occupied the 2nd half. The driving energy of this symphony, whose opening movement is as long as the first movement of Beethoven's Eroica, is simply astounding. A sumptuous, lyrical and very operatic slow movement lies at the heart of Mozart's endlessly fascinating Prague Symphony.
Ilkley Chamber Orchestra, led by Sally Robinson and conducted by John Anderson, duly delivered a remarkable performance which triggered an absolute deluge of enthusiastic applause.
Geoffrey Mogridge
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