This inaugural public performance in Great Yarmouth by the BBC Concert Orchestra was a perfect mix of venue and performance.
The orchestra is just starting a three-year residency in the town as part of Orchestra Live’s Create Yarmouth project, which will see it work with schools and community groups to spread a love for music.
Tonight a pared-down version of the orchestra took to the stage of the Grade I listed St George’s Theatre, making full use of the glorious acoustics of this converted 18th century baroque chapel.
The 80 minute programme was largely inspired by the seaside, whether a piece from Handel’s Water Music to Mendelssohn’s Fingal’s Cave to Lowestoft-boy Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes.
Orchestra leader Nathaniel Anderson-Frank compered the evening with good charm, gently guiding the audience through the selection as it skipped from traditional to modern, right up the encore of Under The Sea.
That this performance was sold out bodes well for the rest of the residency, and the quality of the performance fully deserves a loyal audience.
- BBC Concert Orchestra will play the Great Yarmouth Hippodrome on June 24.
