FOR many years now the third leg of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra's annual Highland Tour has seen the Winds and Strings separate for their own mini-tours. The Winds became the first classical ensemble to perform in the new hall in Boat of Garten, th
e Strathspey village better known for ospreys and its steam railway, and revealed an acoustic that was very bright, but vivid rather than harsh.
With a winter season of chamber music concerts planned for the hall, performers may find it an unforgiving acoustic in terms of intonation – any straying from the straight and narrow will be evident.
But there were no such problems on this occasion, and a full house was treated to a hugely enjoyable concert of accessible and appealing music with a distinct French bias.
Gervaise's Two French Renaissance Dances for two trumpets and drum provided a fanfare-like flourish ahead of two larger-scale works, an arrangement of Weber's colourful overture Euryanthe and Gounod's lyrical and subtly wrought Petite Symphonie.
The balance between wind and brass instruments was always well judged, and all were heard to advantage. That was also the case in the most familiar item, a vibrant arrangement of Rossini's overture to The Barber of Seville. Like the earlier Weber overture, it excluded flute, but Alison Mitchell had her moment of glory in an expressive and immaculately played treatment of Bozza's Image for solo flute.
A quick count suggested an arithmetical oversight when nine players took their seats for Hummel's Octet-Partita – but Heather Kent-Scambler's contrabassoon had been deployed to beef up the bass. It added a little too much here and there, but was generally an effective addition to a stirring, joyous performance. Dvorak's Slavonic Dance No 15 provided a rousing encore.
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