A new review of our Elgar CD from critic Stephen Johnson in the July 2016 issue of BBC Music Magazine.
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“The result is pretty remarkable. Fraser hasn’t just translated Elgar’s notes into rich and powerful orchestral terms, he as added (discreetly it must be said) the kinds of touches of colour and splashes of figuration Elgar himself might well have introduced. It really sounds like Elgar… beautifully realised, performed with warmth and understanding, and sympathetically recorded. Same too with the Sea Pictures”
The performances do full justice to the music. Pianist Mikhail Korzhev is able to make even the most knotty of Krenek’s serial textures flow naturally. His tone is warm, and his phrasing ideally focussed. The orchestra copes well with what must be an unfamiliar idiom… the playing can never be faulted for accuracy or balance. Ken Woods leads vibrant readings, suitably broad in the First Concerto and suitably atmospheric in the Second.
A vocal ovation for the ESO’s performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with Alexander Sitkovetsky
“Kenneth Woods drew a fine vigorous opening from the orchestra in the Allegro con brio of Beethoven’s Symphony No.3 in E flat major, Op.55 ‘Eroica’ with a crisp incisiveness and a great sense of panache and spirit, a real allegro brio” wrote critic Bruce Reader. “This was a performance of great life and character which brought a real freshness to Beethoven’s vision. Kenneth Woods is clearly achieving fine results with the English Symphony Orchestra.”
The concert opened with the UK premiere of Emily Doolittle’s “green/blue” described by Reader as “an impressive work full of colour and ever evolving ideas.” Following the Doolittle came a performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with soloist Alexander Sitkovetsky, who “immediately revealed his beautifully sweet tonein theAllegro molto appassionato of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64. Both orchestra and soloist brought a great energy and forward momentum to this spirited performance. The orchestra demonstrated its ability to bring weight yet with great transparency. Sitkovetsky brought great control of dynamics, a fine rubato and a powerful edge to his lovely tone with some wonderfully fleet passages as well as a beautifully shaped cadenza with moments of fine purity of tone and a beautifully affecting lead up to a quite thrilling coda…This was a very fine performance from this brilliant young soloist with Kenneth Woods and the English Symphony Orchestra on fine form.”
The Hereford Times also covered the concert, giving particular attention to the debut of the ESO’s Orchestral Scholars programme. “THE performance by the English Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Kenneth Woods. at the Shirehall in Hereford on Sunday, February 7 was an exciting event for a number of reasons. For four Herefordshire youngsters, the concert provided the opportunity to sit and play alongside professional musicians during the performance of Beethoven’s Third Symphony. “It was brilliant to see and to be a part of the routine followed by a professional orchestra,” said Orlando, a member of Herefordshire Youth Orchestra, who was joined in this project by Tara Dudhill (violin) and William Thomson (clarinet), fellow members of HYO, and also by a member of the Academia Musica Orchestra at Hereford Sixth Form College.”
Also noting the “a stunning performance of the famous violin concerto in E minor by Mendelssohn,” the article ends by noting “a great feeling of warmth in the concert hall and it is a delight to see and hear the ESO right on our doorstep.”
We are running a one-day orchestra course aimed at children on grades 1-5 at Sibford School in Oxfordshire on August 17th. Download your application form here sibford flyer v3
It is with very, very heavy hearts that we learned today of the passing of John McCabe.
John had been composer-in-association for the ESO since 2013, an affiliation that the orchestra will always take enormous pride in. He was one of the most prolific and outstanding composers of his generation, a virtuoso pianist, and a widely-loved colleague and friend. Our condolences go out to his wife Monica, and to everyone who knew and loved this remarkable man.
Composer-in-association, John McCabe (photo Gareth Arnold)
The sheer magnitude of John’s achievement as a musician will take years for music historians to fully appreciate, but when today’s loss is absorbed and the assessments are complete, he will surely stand as one of the greatest composers that Britain has ever produced.
The ESO’s Principal Conductor, Kenneth Woods, says of the orchestra’s collaboration with McCabe that “it will forever be a source of deep regret that John’s appointment as composer-in-association with the orchestra coincided almost exactly with the onset of his illness. There were so many more projects we wanted to do, and I know John bitterly regretted the times he was unable to travel to join us. John was so excited about the prospects for the partnership and was infinitely generous with his wisdom and energy, helping us to put his music in the right contexts. The video interviews we recorded as part of the association are fascinating- John could speak with awe-inspiring fluency on any musical topic. He was someone who could inspire and instruct the most expert professional musicians and engage with a general audience with wit and warmth.”
The English Symphony Orchestra will continue to keep McCabe’s music in the orchestra’s repertoire and hope to celebrate John’s legacy with the orchestra through future recordings.
On March 1, the ESO are presenting a chamber music concert by Woods’s string trio, Ensemble Epomeo, which will include a performance of McCabe’s String Trio. The concert is free to members of ESO Friends, but also open to the public. Booking details are here.
The Academia Musica Choir is a semi-professional ensemble that has a recording contract with Priory Records, broadcasts on the BBC and has performed with professional ensembles such as the English Symphony Orchestra and Oxford and Cambridge University Choirs. The choir performs a substantial repertoire of sacred music every week in British cathedrals as well as productions of large-scale works and debut performances of contemporary works. Their most recent recording, that completes their series of the collected vernacular works of John Sheppard, is due for release early in 2015.
Mozart’s Requiem has been shrouded in mystery and rumour since it was first published. Commissioned by an anonymous stranger and completed for performance after Mozart’s death under controversial circumstances, the Requiem is also a work with a complex and intricate connection to Mozart’s musical forebears. ESO Principal Conductor Kenneth Woods takes listeners on a journey of discovery into the origins of Mozart’s last and greatest work, heard here alongside some of the works Mozart turned to for inspiration in the final weeks of his life.
Tickets for the Hereford Cathedral Concert are available through the Courtyard Box Office and for the St John’s Smith Square concert from their own box office.
27 February, 2015
7:30 PM
English Symphony Orchestra Kenneth Woods- principal conductor
Hereford Cathedral
5 College Cloisters, Cathedral Close, Hereford HR1 2NG
Handel- “Alleluia” from The Dettingen Anthem
WF Bach- Adagio from Sinfonia in D Minor
Handel- Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline, “The Ways of Zion do Mourn”
Mozart- Requiem in D minor
Tickets: £25, £20, £18, £15 Seniors %25 discount, Children and students %50 discount
BOX OFFICE- Hereford Courtyard Theatre ON SALE SOON
It was a great evening for music when the ESO, Kenneth Woods and Christopher Richards took the stage together for the first time as the orchestra launched our new series in Christ Church Malvern.
Where you there? Please write to info@eso.co.uk to share your thoughts and reactions, or leave a comment below. We welcome your feedback!
An article for the Malvern Gazette submitted by Christ Church
ESO COMES TO CHRIST CHURCH
We were both thrilled, proud and privileged on Friday evening when the ESO performed the first of their inaugural concerts and are honoured that they have chosen us as their venue. It was also Kenneth Woods’ first concert in association with the ESO, the conductor for this series of concerts. The cold weather did not deter the audience of over a hundred and the warmth and intimacy of the Church made for a very special evening. There was a varied and carefully thought out programme which had promised to be exciting and it was! There was the poignancy of the Ullmann Chamber Symphony Opus 46a. and the beauty of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, when soloist Chris Richard made his clarinet” sing like a bird” .Finally a thrilling conclusion – the powerful Beethoven’s Symphony No 2 Opus 21, a veritable feast for the senses. The orchestra gave it their all, only the kitchen sink was missing! The atmosphere was both intimate and “buzzing” rather like being in your own drawing room. The acoustics were much praised and the audience gave a tremendous reaction to the concert, even commenting we were like a mini Glyndebourne. Someone said “When was the last time these walls heard live Beethoven”. Exciting times are ahead , three more concerts planned the next being Thursday 23rd May 2013 at 7.30 where we will hear a programme of the best of British music , including Arne, Britten, Boyce, Finzi and Arnold. Please see our web site for full detailswww.christchurch-malvern.org.uk and you can book at ESO Box Office 01386 791044
Palm Sunday saw the launch of our new Christ Church Magazine, Christ Church News and we have much planned for the remainder of 2013. Next up is our Spring Fair on Saturday 20th April from 10.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. note your diary to come and browse our varied stalls and enjoy our fabulous bacon, egg and sausage sandwiches for breakfast or and early lunch , all produce supplied from our local Barnard’s Green Butchers. But before then join us Good Friday for our Devotional Hour 2.00 to 3.00 p.m.with Canon Harold Goddard and again on Easter Sunday at 11.00 a.m. for Holy Communion conducted by Canon Goddard.
And here’s a letter from a listener submitted to the paper
Dear Sir,
I am sure I speak for all those who attended the ESO concert in Christ Church last Friday when I say we were absolutely transported by the wonderful playing. Experienced concertgoers I spoke to said they had not heard a more sensitive performance of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, and the Beethoven absolutely ‘crackled’.
The ESO appear to have found a treasure in Kenneth Woods, their artistic director for this series, who conveyed his enthusiasm through his words to the audience as well as his baton. His rapport with the orchestra was self-evident, as was the excellent Christ Church acoustic which seems to be made for them.
This is the first joint venture between these forces, which promises great things for the rest of the season, and hopefully for others to follow. I cannot commend them too highly.
Title: ESO at Christchurch Malvern- Ullmann, Mozart and Beethoven Location: Christ Church, Malvern Description: Kenneth Woods- conductor
Ullmann (arr. Woods)- Chamber Symphony opus 46a
Mozart- Clarinet Concerto
Chris Richards, clarinet
Interval
Beethoven- Symphony no. 2
Clarinetist Christopher Richards
Start Time: 19:30 Date: 2013-03-22
The limpid lyricism of Mozart’s beloved Clarinet Concerto, the virtuosic good humour of Beethoven’s Second Symphony and the defiant heroism of Ullmann’s Chamber Symphony.
The ESO is proud to begin our new series at Christ Church, Malvern with the first professional UK performance of Viktor Ullmann’s Chamber Symphony, opus 43 a- an arrangement of his Third String Quartet by conductor Kenneth Woods.
Christopher Richards, recently appointed as Principal Clarinet of the London Symphony is possibly England’s most exciting young exponent of the instrument, and his performance of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto promises to be truly magical.
Beethoven’s Second Symphony is a virtuoso tour de force for any orchestra, and promises a thrilling conclusion to a historic evening of music making.
Kenneth Woods has been appointed Artistic Director of the English Symphony Orchestra’s new subscription concert series for 2013. His first concert in the new role will take place on 22 March 2013, in Christ Church Malvern.
The English Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1978, has not had an artistic director since the 2008 passing of Vernon Handley, who was appointed Principal Conductor in 2007. Woods joins an orchestra with an illustrious history which includes associations with Sir Yehudi Menuhin, notable soloists such as Stephen Isserlis and Nigel Kennedy, and renowned composers including Sir Michael Tippett and Nicholas Maw. The ESO has made dozens of acclaimed recordings, a notable discography which Woods is expected to augment.
Woods remarks, “The ESO is a world-class group of musicians, with an august history of recording and touring at the highest level. Their administrative team has worked incredibly hard to put the orchestra’s finances back on a very strong footing, while developing an enterprising, innovative and wide-ranging education and outreach portfolio. It’s an exciting moment for the orchestra to be returning to their historic home of Malvern with their first new subscription series in some time, and I’m very excited they’ve asked me to partner with them in this new venture.”
Peter Sheeran, Chief Executive of the English Symphony Orchestra adds, “I first met Ken Woods a few months ago, together with the ESO’s leader Michael Bochmann, to explore how we might work together. We discussed plans, ethics and motivation, and we found that Ken was unusually well-attuned to what we are trying to achieve and that very little had to be spelt out. An opportunity came to put on a concert series at a new venue for us, with very exciting possibilities both on the platform and in its community, and Ken was the obvious person to ask to curate this project during its first year, with other possibilities leading out from that. We cannot wait to get down to work with him in January; his approach came at just the right time for us.”
Woods’ programming for his first season with the ESO ranges from 18th-century England to 20th-century Russia, with the repertoire united by a common thread. “My colleagues in the orchestra and I wanted this series to make a statement, to articulate a theme,” says Woods. “We’ve picked the Granddaddy of all themes – resiliency. We’re going to be looking at the way in which music and art seeks light in dark times, though defiance, humour, struggle, meditation, perseverance or heroic striving.”
Woods’ first concert with the ESO includes his own arrangement of Victor Ullman’s Chamber Symphony (originally composed as his third and final string quartet), written in Terezin just prior to his execution in Auschwitz; Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, which was the composer’s last completed instrumental work, responding to illness and crisis with search for tranquillity; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, perhaps his most light-hearted symphony, but written concurrently with his Heiligenstadt Testament, when he was seriously contemplating suicide because of his deafness.Future programmes feature works by Arne, Malcolm Arnold, Boyce, Britten, Finzi, Gál, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich.
Woods’ appointment as Artistic Director of the English Symphony Orchestra caps a climatic year for the fast-rising conductor. As Principal Guest Conductor of Stratford-upon-Avon-based Orchestra of the Swan, he has captured international recognition for his ongoing series of performances and recordings pairing the symphonies of Hans Gál and Robert Schumann. His world-premiere recordings of the Gál symphonies have been cited by National Public Radio, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the BBC and The Guardian’s international edition, among others. Also with Orchestra of the Swan, Woods conducted an acclaimed all-British programme at London’s Cadogan Hall, and recorded the world-premieres of two fusion concertos for the release Spring Sounds, Spring Seas, recently selected as one of MusicWeb International’s Records of the Year. Other recording highlights in 2012 included his first disc for Signum and two recordings for Somm Recordings with Orchestra of the Swan and the Royal Philharmonic, following on from his highly successful Somm recording of Schoenberg’s arrangements of the songs of Gustav Mahler.
As Artistic Director of the English Symphony Orchestra, Woods can be expected to lend the many strings of his bow to the organisation. In addition to his prowess on the podium and in the recording studio, Woods is a cellist of significant stature. This past year, with his Ensemble Epomeo, he recorded the complete string trios of Gal and Krasa, a Critic’s Choice in the December issue of Gramophone Magazine, and was soloist in Brahms’ Double Concerto with the Surrey Mozart Players alongside violinist Suzanne Casey.
A prolific writer, Woods is widely-read on his blog, A View from the Podium, one of today’s top 20 classical music blogs. He has contributed liner notes to a number of releases including EMI’s ICON reissue, a 20-CD box set devoted to German conductor Eugen Jochum. And he has guest-blogged for Gramophone magazine. As an arranger, Woods’ orchestral version of Ullman’s String Quartet No. 3 has been recorded by David Parry and the English Chamber Orchestra for the Gramola label. As a broadcaster, Woods was heard on BBC Radio 3′s The Cellists that Time Forgot, hosted by Julian Lloyd Webber.
