Sergio A. Mims sends two rave reviews of Chineke! Orchestra:
Conductor Jonathon Heyward drew poised playing from the Chineke players. Photograph: Jeremy Ayres Fischer
The Guardian
Chineke! Orchestra/Heyward review – spirited and stylish performances
St George’s, Bristol Jonathon Heyward inspired poised playing while the 2016 BBC Young Musician winner Sheku Kanneh-Mason was a fearless and expressive soloistRian Evans
Monday April 24, 2017
St George’s
honours its patron saint in concert every 23 April, but this evening
will go down as one of its most celebratory, with the first appearance
of the Chineke! Orchestra
outside London. Appearing in chamber orchestra form, Chineke! gives a
platform to black and ethnic-minority musicians, and it was a neat move
to open with a work by the Guadeloupe-born Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges,
who was roughly the contemporary of Mozart. The overture to his opera
L’Amant Anonyme, in three-movement sinfonia style, was given real
rhythmic spark to point up the melodic charm.
Many of the enthusiastic audience had clearly come to see the BBC Young Musician winner, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
They were rewarded with a stylish performance of Haydn’s Cello Concerto
in C (Hob VIIb/1). In the central adagio, Kanneh-Mason balanced
expressive singing tone with careful, instinctive, dynamic shading. He
took the allegro molto at fearless, breakneck speed, the passage work
impressively controlled. A solo encore was further testimony to his
prodigious gift, and his arrangement of a traditional Jewish song was
plangent and subtly elaborated.
Review: Chineke! Orchestra, St George’s
Ngaio Anyia, April 24, 2017
After speaking to Chi-Chi Nwanoku I was more than a little excited to watch Chineke! Orchestra playing
music by Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint George at this special St
George’s Day concert at St George’s. The composer, an illegitimate son
of a French plantation owner and his black slave, has been dubbed ‘the
other Mozart’ but failed to receive the same level of fame or
recognition in history despite beautiful compositions.
Walking into St George’s, I felt my heart rise into my throat – I
hadn’t expected to feel such a wave of emotion looking around at the
most mixed audience I’d seen there ever before, not just in terms of
race but also age. There was a real sense of community that I hadn’t
realised I’d missed in the venue previously.
I felt relaxed sitting alone in a packed hall of people at a
classical concert where the worry of feeling out of place or
self-conscious may have put me off in the past – this wasn’t the case
tonight. Watching the musicians take their place on the stage filled me
with such pride, the widest involuntary smile spread across my face, a
reaction I saw reflected by many around me.
Hearing from Chi-Chi Nwanoku that this performance
was the orchestra’s first outside of London caused the audience to sigh
with pride, erupting into grateful applause. Once quietened enough for
her to thank the Arts Council and St George’s for welcoming Chineke!
Orchestra, she introduced our soloist for the evening, Sheku Kanneh-Mason whose
playing was remarkable. At only 17 years old his solo’s ached with
emotion, it is no surprise he was awarded the accolade of BBC’s Young
Musician of the Year – he played with the most ferocious passion and
skill. We were utterly enthralled by him, so much so that when he bowed
to leave, he received not one but three standing ovations and foot
stamping such as I’d never experienced at St George’s.
Hearing from Chi-Chi Nwanoku that this performance was the
orchestra’s first outside of London caused the audience to sigh with
pride, erupting into grateful applause. Once quietened enough for her to
thank the Arts Council and St George’s for welcoming Chineke!
Orchestra, she introduced our soloist for the evening, Sheku Kanneh-Mason whose
playing was remarkable. At only 17 years old his solo’s ached with
emotion, it is no surprise he was awarded the accolade of BBC’s Young
Musician of the Year – he played with the most ferocious passion and
skill. We were utterly enthralled by him, so much so that when he bowed
to leave, he received not one but three standing ovations and foot
stamping such as I’d never experienced at St George’s.
The orchestra were flawless from the moment they began. Playing with utter conviction, there was not one musician on the stage who was not entirely connected to the music and one another, led by the most mesmerising conductor I’ve ever seen. Jonathon Heyward‘s evocative facial expressions and animated movements were matched only by his energetic and accurate gestures which so clearly guided the orchestra. Enhancing their brilliance, you could see exactly how his movements led each section through the music and the how the musicians trusted him.
The orchestra were flawless from the moment they began. Playing with utter conviction, there was not one musician on the stage who was not entirely connected to the music and one another, led by the most mesmerising conductor I’ve ever seen. Jonathon Heyward‘s evocative facial expressions and animated movements were matched only by his energetic and accurate gestures which so clearly guided the orchestra. Enhancing their brilliance, you could see exactly how his movements led each section through the music and the how the musicians trusted him.
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