Guest Review for Surrey Advertiser

Surrey Mozart Players (SMP)

at Holy Trinity Church on Saturday 6 October 2007

Attending a concert by the SMP for the first time on 6th October I was most impressed by their performance under their conductor, Kenneth Woods; high praise from an aficionado of the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam!

The opening Mozart Overture from Der Schauspieldirektor paid generous homage to the orchestra’s namesake, lively and rousing as it was.  This was followed by Fauré’s Suite Pelléas et Mélisande, in which the orchestra demonstrated a contrasting mood with sincere sensitivity.

The pièce de résistance was, of course, Parry Karp’s stunning performance of the Saint-Saëns Concerto no 2 in D minor for cello.  Mr. Karp produced a sound so beautiful that it was truly a rare and thrilling experience.  Not only was his sound magical, but his technique in this most difficult of works was outstanding.  He was well supported by the orchestra too, giving the performance a cohesive wholeness.

This was followed by the Romanza for cello and orchestra by Richard Strauss which was a further treat for the senses as once again we were transported- the church venue lending itself to soaring phrases and dynamic nuances of both cello and orchestra.  We felt honoured to have had this opportunity to hear such an artiste perform.

The concert closed brilliantly with the vivacious Sinfonietta for orchestra by Poulenc to end the most enjoyable evening.

Margaret Morley 7 October 2007