Review of Sunderland Symphony Orchestra spring concert as it honours chairman of 20 years

A drum roll following a short introduction by SSO chairman David Mills and musical director David Milner made his entrance, raised his baton, and we were off - straight into a very tightly played and rousing performance of Johann Strauss, Snr’s Radetzky March, complete with audience clap-along throughout.

The orchestra made a very carefully considered decision to follow government medical advice of the hour and “carry on” with its Spring concert - a magnificent selection of classical marches and waltzes.

A substantial audience did likewise and enjoyed a beautiful concert by Sunderland Symphony Orchestra maintaining astonishingly high standards of performance.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘Seventeen Come Sunday’ March, the first movement of his English Folk Song Suite, evokes a mid-C20th mixed sense of touching rural sensitivity and military vigour as the echoes of traditional song underly the varied full orchestral instrumentation expertly conducted with subtly contrasting dynamics by musical director David Milner.

The informative programme for the evening, written by departing SSO chairman David Mills, tells us that The Blue Danube Waltz is not one waltz, but a chain of five interlinked waltz themes.

The whole audience was overwhelmed by the superlative timings and dynamics of SSO’s rendition, inspirationally led by Judith Thompson, of a composition whose universal appeal and success is explained by its complexity and the genius of Johann Strauss II, the ‘Waltz King’.

The second half opened with a stirring rendition of On The Quarterdeck March by Kenneth J. Alford (aka Major Frederick Joseph Ricketts) - written in 1917 to commemorate the Battle of Jutland - and very tightly performed by the brass and woodwind sections of the orchestra.

Next, we were treated to a really beautiful performance of the lilting and swirling Swan Lake Waltz by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky. Contrasting the delicacy of woodwind, light strings, and bell percussion with the darkly threatening timpani of Brian Naisby and powerful cello section led by Sophia Pearson, this was yet another brilliant performance of dynamic light and shade and, for me, the very best of the evening.

The Florentiner March by Czech composer Julius Fučik followed, lovingly played by Judith Thompson’s fine strings, an excellent brass section led by Phil Jackson on trumpet, and the impressive percussion and drumming of Jack Stead and Sam Burgess.

David Mills announced this as his last concert as chairman of SSO before performing on the very impressive church organ “of one thousand, eight hundred and ninety-seven pipes, individually tuned” a piece written in 1982 by Korp & Roever entitled Highland Cathedral, and representing the legend and folklore of Scotland.

As rapturous applause subsided, Vice President Mark Greenfield thanked both David Mills and his wife Kathleen for their long and committed service to the orchestra dating back over twenty years to its foundation, and presented them with a vase produced at National Glass Centre.

The next concert: America! 7.30pm, is due to take place on July 4 2020, at West Park Church, Sunderland.

Review by Mark Greenfield