Fans of the Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra were rewarded with a real treat on Saturday, February 25, at their ‘Legendary Classics’ concert performed at The Anvil. The icing on the cake was provided by Braimah Kanneh-Mason, the second eldest sibling of the famous family. His performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor was both passionate and intimate – there were moments when the audience was held spell-bound by the softness of expression in the middle movement, then drawn in by the air of excitement at the start of the last section, and finally propelled to the end of the piece. No surprise then that there was a standing ovation.

The 66-strong orchestra was put through its paces. Any concert which starts with the Overture from William Tell, with its opportunities for orchestral solos and an epic finale, is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. There were plenty of opportunities here for individual players to show their considerable skill, and for the brass and percussion sections to announce their arrival. The Peer Gynt Suite No 1 by Grieg is full of beautiful melodies, notably ‘Morning’, where the woodwind shone, and the two string pieces that were performed with great sensitivity. Add to this the delights of the Hall of the Mountain King’ which greatly appealed to younger members of the audience and it becomes clear why this suite is part of the legendary classic idea.

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Sandwiched between the two Suites in the programme was the mysterious and colourful Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens, in which the figure of death appears at midnight each Halloween. To perform the famous solo from this piece, orchestral leader Sue Bint had to detune her violin to make it sound more devilish. In fact, she also had to have another violin handy so that she didn’t sound ‘out of tune’ in the rest of the piece! The solo was performed with real style and a full-bodied sound, creating a sense of another world.

Finally, the concert drew to a close with the Henry V Suite by William Walton. This 20th century music was written for Laurence Olivier’s film of the same title. The composition is so evocative that the story can be imagined without the visuals. Love themes and battle marches are the order of the day and the orchestra showed itself to be versatile in its interpretation of this lovely music. In this, as throughout the varied programme, the orchestra was guided by its long-time conductor Stephen Scotchmer, whose skill enabled the players to communicate their love of the classics to the very sizeable audience.