Sergio A. Mims: Four star review for Chineke! Orchestra CD from The Guardian

Sergio A. Mims writes:

Four star review for Chineke! Orchestra CD from The Guardian.

The Guardian

Dvořák: Symphony No 9; Sibelius: Finlandia review – tasteful restraint and explosive dynamism

4 / 5 stars

Chineke! Orchestra/Edusei
(Signum)

Kate Molleson

Chineke! Orchestra doesn’t hang about. Just two years old, the black and minority-ethnic ensemble debuts at the Proms on 30 August – the youngest orchestra to make it into the programme – and has just released its first recording. The choice of repertoire is symbolic: themes in Dvořák’s symphony From the New World were inspired by African American and Sioux Indian music; Sibelius’s Finlandia became an anthem of small-nation identity struggle (including Biafra during its civil war). But the symbolism stops there, because this playing stands for itself. Kevin John Edusei conducts – neat and direct, with a fine sense of when to push and when to linger.