Delicately and sensitively played

Elgar’s Sospiri for strings and harp came first in Sunday’s concert in St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, that was dedicated to the memory of Ivan Cane, the highly-respected , much loved founder of the Academy of St Thomas.

Led by David Randall, the Academy went on to perform Poulenc’s Sinfonietta. Conductor Christopher Adey brought the bite and exhuberance of all the lively mood switches typical of French twentieth-century music.

In the brilliant oboe concert by Richard Strauss, the veteran virtuoso John Anderson was the agile and assured soloist.

In Beethoven’s Second Symphony the players responded readily to the different opportunities they were offered by the attractive mingling of heroic and more relaxed moods.

Though not ever climax rang quite true, the woodwinds made delightful contributions to this interpretation full of strength and vitality.

EDP 17 October 2018