New ‘world class’ Harrogate-based orchestra make their own history in town’s only Grade 1 listed building
A packed audience hailed the first appearance at a historic venue by a new world class Harrogate-based orchestra as its best performance yet.
The third concert in the Cuore Chamber Orchestra’s inaugural season saw the hugely talented young musicians shine throughout a programme which blended the crowd-pleasing with the rarely played.
Designed by Temple Lushington Moore, St Wilfrid’s Church was consecrated in 1914 but it is hard to believe it has enjoyed a better musical moment than on Saturday night before a packed crowd which included noted Yorkshire arts supporters and philanthropists Liz and Terry Bramall.
Under the quietly assured leadership of Conductor and Artistic Director William Dutton, the Cuore Chamber Orchestra not only showcased the work of Haydn, the original master of chamber music, in the shape of his Symphony Nº1 and Cello concerto Nº1, but also promoted less often performed gems by two British composers, Edward Elgar and Malcolm Arnold.
The magnificent grandeur of St Wilfrid’s Church, Harrogate’s only Grade 1 listed building, not only offered excellent acoustics but also, despite its size, an intimate setting to enjoy the skills and verve of the Cuore’s brilliant young musicians.
If the stunning debut of this life-affirming chamber orchestra’s first Cuore Future Star, international cellist Cansin Kara who is a member of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, was an obvious high point in a concert which oozed quality with a relaxed ease, it was by no means the only one.
No audience could fail to fall in love with Mozart’s vivacious Eine Kleine Nachtmusik performed this well but, less than 12 months after its launch, what impressed most about this brilliant young orchestra was how it handled the infinite sorrow of Elgar’s Elegy and the constant motion of Arnold’s Sinfonietta Nº1 with a subtlety and understated depth of feeling that belied the age of its members.
Such was the measure of the achievement of the third concert by the Cuore Chamber Orchestra.
Graham Chalmers
Harrogate Advertiser – Review (09.05.26)