Big Orchestra

national | arts and media | news report Thursday March 29, 2007 17:47 by Sean Crudden - impero sean.crudden at iol dot ie Jenkinstown, Dundalk, Co Louth. 0879739945

Linda Kelly Retires

The National Symphony Orchestra mustered a complement of 104 players at its concert on Friday 23 March 2007 in the National Concert Hall. This number included six percussionists and one timpanist. It was the final performance in the career of cellist Linda Kelly. She joined the orchestra in September 1972 and conductor Grehard Markson called her up to the centre of the stage before the interval and presented her with a gold-ribboned box of chocolates. She looked cool and fit and accepted the applause of the audience indulgently and graciously as she did at the end of the concert when the conductor called her to his side again.

As part of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra 2006 - 2007 Season (in association with Anglo Irish Bank) in the National Concert Hall a program of music took place, starting at 8.00 p.m. on Friday 23 March 2007, featuring

Wagner
Prelude Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Finale Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Mahler
Symphony No. 7 in E minor.

In the second Wagner piece bass-baritone Matthew Best showed an imposing, athletic, agreeable presence and declaimed his music well with serious purpose. He is an interesting performer and I would have liked to hear him tonight when he is singing again at the National Concert Hall.

The crescendos in the symphony were delivered with hit and the little dialogues of call and counter call here and there were well worked out. Conclusions were perfect. The orchestra performed quite comfortably over a very wide range of dynamics. Everyone seemed to be properly engaged and no-one seemed tired at the end of what is a long and demanding symphony. I think the reason for this was two-fold: the temperature in the hall was moderately cool (I thought) and the performance went well for all concerned with a minimum of glitches in both audience and orchestra.