2011 First Concert - April

St James Church, Central Lower Hutt.
Saturday, 2nd April, 7:30 pm.

Brief review

Some of the photos are from a practice a few hours earlier. The light was better then and it also meant that photos of the outside were possible. The church and the park area around is quite lovely in the evening light.

St James Church   Tree in evening light

To music and the concert...

Fanfare   
The concert opened with a trumpet fanfare. Players are there for the pleasure and excitement of playing. As there was little call for much of the brass in the first half, they balanced matters by playing a short piece that was 100% them. 

From entrance to orchestra

The first half had the Schubert  6th Symphony ('Little Symphony in C') followed by Ravel's 'Pavane pour une infant defunte'.
Nicholas Walshe in concert   Nicholas at practice
Nicholas Walshe playing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto. It is usual for a programme to have the concerto leading to the interval. As we regarded this wonderful concerto as the highlight of the evening, it therefore occupied the whole of the second half. 

The photo at right is of the earlier, sunlit practice. (Cello cases are banned to a side chapel for the actual concert. They look like monks in a silent order who ooze opinion by their very stance.)
Bonnie Riley and Orchestra Bonnie Riley and Orchestra Microphones in the church
 The two pictures at left are included just because they look nice. Higher resolution version of 11 photos are available on-line in a Picasa Album. The photo of the microphones is because the concert was being recorded, and will broadcast on the Hutt Community Radio. (106.1 FM)