Here are a few snippets from a review that will feature in the January / February edition of Musical Opinion, written by Martin Anderson, courtesy of Robert Matthew-Walker, the editor of Musical Opinion.
Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra, cond. Paul Mann. Cadogan Hall, London, 23 October 2010
Concerts by student orchestras – as this one by pupils at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, given in The Monastery in Manchester on 22 October, and repeated the following night in the Cadogan Hall in London – can act as a tonic for dyspeptic critics: the sheer passion that goes into the playing reminds us of a vital element that’s nonetheless often absent from professional music-making. Of course, that youthful enthusiasm usually comes at a cost: a lack of polish in attack, intonation, ensemble. Not here, though: this concert was remarkable not only for the astonishingly good playing of the kids of Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra but also for the performances themselves...
Mann’s account of the Tchaikovsky was remarkable on several accounts ...
Throughout the concert his conducting avoided micro-management: he trusted his players, and they him ....
Small wonder the Cadogan Hall audience leapt to its feet: by now we were too excited to sit still....
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