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| What the papers say |
| 'A stunning performance of lyrical intensity' |
| Rowena Smith, The Herald |
| '... the depth of string sound was matched with the energy and precision of the general ensemble. This was a vibrant account of the symphony as a whole; a fitting conclusion to the evening.' |
| Rowena Smith, The Herald |
| '... the orchestra treats each concert as an event: this one pulsated with vitality from start to finish.' |
| Conrad Wilson, The Herald |
| '... the elan and daring of this revolutionary piece were matched by a performance that was exhilarating.' |
| Andrew Clark, The Scotsman |
| 'The playing has always exhibited a sense of affection and engagement.' |
| Mary Miller, The Scotsman |
| '... the Meadows is a group that not only can play, but exhibit the highest level of listening to each other while doing so.' |
| Michael Tumelty, The Herald |
| 'Peter Evans and the Meadows Chamber Orchestra enjoy a very special position in Edinburgh life.' |
| George Wilson, The Scotsman |
| 'Anniversary Concert had audience spellbound.' |
| Galloway News |
| 'Nothing was under-expressed. The performance as a whole, not least in the stirring account of the slow movement, showed soloist and orchestra alike swept up by the music.' |
| Conrad Wilson, The Herald |
| Here is the complete text of Michael Tumelty's review in The Herald of the Orchestra's concert in The Queens' Hall, Edinburgh on 30 March 2003: |
| 'Despite their track record, reputation and
consistency of performance, the musicians of Edinburgh's Meadows Chamber
Orchestra continually provoke surprise. It's not the steady
commissioning and championing of new music, though that is always
noteworthy. It is the sheer quality of playing they produce, exemplified
once again on Sunday night throughout their imaginative programme of
Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, Mahler's Wayfarer Songs,
Kodaly's Dances of Galanta, and a new work by young Scottish
composer, Helen Grime. Imaginative? Absolutely. If ever there was an argument to advance the notion of Schubert as a proto-expressionist composer (pardon the horrible term), it lay in the juxtaposition of the Meadows Chamber Orchestra's exquisitely shaped , darkly intense and achingly Romantic version of the Unfinished Symphony with their magically sensitive accompaniment to Louise Mott's creamy singing of Mahler's four Wayfarer Songs. Peter Evans's top-drawer, intimately detailed conducting of both works drew playing of a remarkable polish and sophistication from one of the UK's best amateur orchestras, inviting comparison between the two very different composers. Indeed, without much flight of fantasy, it was possible to see Helen Grime's expertly written and intensely lyrical new Oboe Concerto - dazzlingly played by the young composer herself - as yet a further extension of the expressionist style, with its atmospheric opening conjuring direct evocations of Mahler's own work. The intriguing aspect of the concerto, whose sections were linked in a single sweep, was the personality of the reflective oboe line, whose essential character remained unchanged, even when animated, through the wide-ranging orchestration of the piece. Expertly crafted, the concerto is an impressive piece of work from a composer with something to say.' |
