Royal Northern Sinfonia, Middlesbrough Town Hall

THE lovely, if exquisitely sad, Adagio for Strings by the American composer Samuel Barber was first conceived as a work for string quartets and has undergone several transformations, including the full string orchestra version which opened the Royal Northern Sinfonia (RNS) performance directed by Kyra Humphreys in Middlesbrough.

Humphreys is a fine violinist in her own right, as we were privileged to experience in her excellent performance of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No 4 in D Major, K218. She has a beautifully balanced musical style in the physical handling of her instrument and in her musical interpretation. She is both graceful and sensitive.

Aaron Copland’s Clarinet Concerto played by Timothy Orpen opened the second half of the programme with a slow, measured theme for clarinet and orchestra. Dreamy and evocative of space and distance, for me American music seems to conjure up a sense of emptiness– wide open prairies perhaps. And when we note Copland’s compositions – Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Fanfare for the Common Man, they all have that specific quality which makes them instantly identifiable as American.

Orpen, a superb instrumentalist, tackled this very demanding music with complete mastery, though he has a swooping and stooping playing style which I found rather distracting. The orchestra also delivered an excellent performance, full of variety and colour.

Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K201, brought the concert to a close with tumultuous applause from a very appreciative audience.

The Royal Northern Sinfonia’s next concert is on April 9 in Middlesbrough Town Hall Crypt at 7.45pm.

Irene MacDonald