With its rich string sound and nimble winds, the Sinfonia of Birmingham has every right to consider itself amongst the best non-professional orchestras in Birmingham. But this, their second concert of the season at the CBSO Centre was hampered by an uneven programme.
Rodion Shchedrin’s 1967 Carmen Suite stuck out particularly. Taking the popular operatic score and reducing the instrumentation to just strings and percussion, Shchedrin’s attempt at wit falls extremely flat. Bizet’s tunes now appear on tubular bells or vibraphone, and famous passages are provided bongo and cowbell accompaniment. Any humour here felt cheap.
Following this, the compositional mastery of Stravinsky’s Wind Octet had never sounded so impressive. Conductor Michael Seal was excellent here, shaping the capricious score well, his own affectation-free approach effectively matching its neo-classical, ironic cool. The Sinfonia’s winds rose commendably to the demands of Stravinsky’s exposed lines.
Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera’s Estancia Suite reunited the strings, wind and seven percussionists for a dramatic conclusion. Whilst undoubtedly tackled with a palpable energy, Ginastera’s score did not say much beyond exploiting effects. The Suite’s placement as a finale is a logical one, but effective only in concluding a more consistent programme.
Rating * * *
