The Manfred Overture which started the Schumann Jubilee Concert by the Orchestra of the Canongait was a turbulent and troubled piece of music. Robert Schumann had a troubled mind and the Overture was written for Lord Byron’s dramatic poem Manfred, which he wrote in 1817 shortly after the failure of his marriage.
Coming in off the street on a very wet early summer evening this was a troublesome and technical start to the concert which celebrated the composer’s birth, almost to the day, two hundred years ago.
Soon the Steinway piano was moved to the front of the stage and Helena Buckmayer took but a few seconds to show us we were on our way to a very happy performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto.
She and the orchestra were in harmony and clearly enjoying themselves. At its first performance in 1846 it was Schumann’s wife, Clara, who played the piano. Helena Buckmayer was born in Tajikistan when it was part of the Soviet Union. She was educated in Germany but has happily made Scotland her home.
After the interval the Orchestra played the four movements of the second of Schumann’s glorious symphonies. The accompanying notes describes the 40 players as a healthy mixture of local professional and amateur musicians as well as students. They were impressive. Their Leader, Alexa Butterworth, exudes a relaxed and natural confidence which is a joy to watch.
Edinburgh born Robert Dick, the Orchestra’s founder and conductor, cuts an impressive sway. He has to decide whether the Orchestra of the Canongait continues to takes the formal approach to its concerts.
For my part, and I have said it before, just a few spoken words by way of introduction would add enormously to the enjoyment of their concerts and build up an audience loyalty. There were not enough people in The Queen’s Hall to enjoy this really good concert and that was a shame.
Event: Saturday 5 June 2010 7.45 pm