Review: Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra, All Saints Parish Church Ilkley,
Sunday 9th June 2024

ILKLEY’S new community orchestra established in 2023 by conductor John
Anderson is steadily developing a distinctive programming style.
The current strength of 35 players precludes the big beasts of the
orchestral repertoire. Audiences are instead offered opportunities to
explore the highways and byways of classical composers: notably
Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Haydn and Mozart.
Proceedings were off to a thrilling start with Rossini’s Overture to his opera
Semiramide.

A rarely performed Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat for Four Winds, thought
to be by Mozart formed the centrefold of an enticing programme. Section
principals Chris Garbutt (oboe) Gina Cockshott (clarinet) and Rosemary
Anderson (bassoon) were joined in front of the orchestra by guest soloist
Simon Twigge (horn) and conductor John Anderson for the Sinfonia
Concertante. Today’s performing version is a reconstruction of what is
thought to be a “lost” Mozart work. Doubts however persist as to its
authenticity not least because the three movements are all in the same key
of E flat. All of Mozart’s concertos, except those for french horn, are
composed with one movement in a related key. Nonetheless, the Sinfonia
Concertante made for a delightful listen; played here with a tangible sense
of enjoyment by the four soloists and Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra.
There is of course not a shred of doubt about the provenance of
Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony No 6 in F, played after the interval. The
four movements are headed: cheerful Impressions awakened by arrival in
the countryside, scene by a brook, merry gathering of country folk, a storm
and shepherd’s thanksgiving after the storm.
Beethoven’s love of nature shone through the Ilkley Philharmonic’s rustling
strings and woodwind bird calls but above all in his depiction of a raging
storm. John Anderson and the Ilkley Philharmonic conveyed the elemental
fury of the storm with braying woodwind, blaring brass surging strings and
thunderous timpani. A welcome deluge of applause followed the
orchestra’s expansive performance of the shepherd’s song with its infinitely
extendable opening motiff.

Review: Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra, All Saints Church, Ilkley, Sunday,
March 3, 2024

Rossini’s Overture to the Barber of Seville, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
in D and the famous ‘Clock’ Symphony of Josef Haydn formed a delectable
programme for Ilkley Philharmonic’s winter concert.
The arrival on Ilkley’s thriving musical scene of John Anderson’s second
new orchestra is restoring repertoire generally passed over by the larger
symphonic ensembles. The programming of a Haydn symphony is a case
in point, on which more later.
Gioachino Rossini’s bustling curtain raiser does not contain a single theme
from his most famous opera. Rather the piece is a showcase for this
composer’s trademark orchestral crescendo. Ilkley Philharmonic played
with verve and the wind sections in particular covered themselves with
glory.

Violinist Andy Long who is an associate leader of the Orchestra of Opera
North, made his entrance to play the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. This is
one of the fastest and most technically demanding of romantic concertos,
for both soloist and orchestra. Leopold Auer, to whom Tchaikovsky
dedicated the work, disputed that he had described it as ‘unplayable’.
Andy’s seemingly relaxed demeanour belied his virtuosity and lyricism as
he scaled the stratospheric heights of this much-loved concerto. John
Anderson and his orchestra were admirably responsive partners. A pity
that the irritating ring tone of a mobile phone twice broke the spell cast by
Andy’s 1st movement solo cadenza.
Haydn’s symphonies are gloriously optimistic. No 101 in D is one of the
second group of his six London symphonies. The ‘Clock’ moniker is
derived from an incessant tick-tock beat in the 2nd movement. John
Anderson and the Ilkley Philharmonic gave a stylish performance, like a
blast of fresh air through this ancient church. An appreciative audience
rose to its feet.

Review: New Year’s Gala Concert, Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra & Academy of Northern Ballet, King’s Hall, Ilkley, Saturday 4th January 2025

ILKLEY now joins an elite list of cities and towns worldwide in hosting a Viennese classical concert to celebrate the New Year. The renowned Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Clemens Krauss, began the tradition, on the 1st January 1939, in the glittering Golden Hall of the Musikverein with music mainly by the family of Johann Strauss.

John Anderson, founder-conductor of Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra, intends to establish the tradition in the town’s splendid King’s Hall & Winter Garden – with one important addition. Last Saturday’s sell-out concert was embellished by nineteen talented young dancers from the Academy of Northern Ballet. The onstage dancers were bathed in moody stage lighting and a backdrop of projected images of famous Vienna landmarks with haunting views of the River Danube. This first ever Ilkley New Year’s Concert became so much more than a static orchestral event, decorated as it was with a dusting of theatrical magic.

Choreographer Amanda Gilliland had created intricate flowing movements for her dancers, beginning with Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. Johann Strauss’s Thunder and Lightening Polka included lively movement with umbrellas and projected lightening flashes. The elegant Annen Polka was danced by soloists Lauren Shaw and Kristian Shek as a charming Boy meets Girl comedy interlude.

Vivacious young soprano Rowena Thornton delighted the capacity audience with her touching performances of Puccini’s O mio babbino caro (O my beloved Daddy) and the lovely Vilja song from Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow. After the interval Rowena morphed into the seductress in Heuberger’s delightful Im chambre séparée (a separate room) followed by the sultry Morocco nightclub singer in Lehar’s Giuditta, with her show-stopping waltz song Meine lippen, sie küssen so heiss (My lips give hot kisses). Such bonbons as Nicholai’s Overture The Merry Wives of Windsor, Johann Strauss’s Overture The Gypsy Baron, Cuckoo Polka, Lehar’s Gold and Silver Waltz and a delicately poised Frauenherz polka-mazurka by Josef Strauss found the orchestra on cracking form. John Anderson ‘rehearsed’ both orchestra and audience for the ‘La La La’ Chorus in the Egyptian March and the percussionist had some fun with the Feurfest (Anvil) Polka.

This thoroughly enjoyable programme ended in grand traditional style with the Blue Danube Waltz, danced by the Academy of Northern Ballet and, finally, the Radetzky March by Johann Strauss (Father). The audience went wild. Next year’s concert will be on Saturday10th January 2026!