Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra - conductor: Keith Slade

St George's Church, Worcester, on Saturday, March 26

COULD it be every concert goer's fate? Two attractive concerts going on at the same time on Saturday night: Philomusica Chorus and Orchestra in Pershore Abbey and Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra in St. George's Church, Worcester. We had to forfeit one or the other and if you chose to go to Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra that means at one less audience member listening to the Philomusica Chorus and Orchestra concert performing Haydn's The Creation. Such is life, I suppose.

Though afterwards I did wonder how the Philomusica concert was on Saturday, Worcestershire Symphony Orchestra transported my mind into the repertoire world that they delivered.

It was easy to imagine a world of dancers for Dvorak's Scherzo Capriccioso because of the way the strings seem to move together much of the time, with the bows going in the same direction. When the music is in question-and-answer mode, it was very scrupulous as well.

Even on the fast runs in Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E flat, there were clean notes from virtuosic trumpet soloist David Price, the orchestra either providing a substantiating contribution or an "answer" to the trumpet's "questions" or "statements". The orchestra supported the trumpet's statements as well.

Conductor Keith Slade introduced Dvorak's Symphony No. 7 as "Brahmsian". Slade often looked at the cello section during the delivery in anticipation of their notable melodic input. Astoundingly, he conducted without the score in front of him and like a man possessed.