THE Cobweb Orchestra, the open access orchestra, which has seven rehearsal venues from the Scottish Borders to North Yorkshire, was in Darlington at the weekend with a complement of three conductors, two soloists, an announcer ( in lieu of programme notes) and the premiere of a new work – not bad for a non-professional outfit.

The first piece was a short Bach Chorale in G, introduced by Durham composer, soloist and conductor Stephanie Cant, which served as a curtain-raiser for Beethoven’s 3rd Piano Concerto, in which she was both conductor and soloist.

It was a robust and enjoyable performance, though it might have been a little better coordinated had there been a separation of the solo and conductor’s roles, especially bearing in mind the status of the orchestra.

This separation of the roles of soloist and conductor was the case in Cesar Franck’s Symphonic Variations after the interval, when Janet Evans and Andy Jackson (above) shared the honours in an equally enjoyable performance.

The final work in the concert was a premiere performance of After the Tide Turned, by Stephanie Cant, directed by the third conductor of the night, Catherine Holbrook.

An extension and reworking of her piano piece, Turning the Tide, premiered by Bobby Chen in a Darlington Piano Society concert in 2007, the piece evokes in musical terms the transition of the Durham coast from its natural state to industrial wasteland and back to nature again.

An impressive work, it perhaps offers possibilities for a professional performance soon by the Northern Sinfonia Orchestra.

Dave Roberts