Reviews by pupils from Beeslack Community High School
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Overall an excellent performance, made up of three symphonies, all with a geographical theme. The first "The Hague" was written by a 10 year old Mozart, and although very short, had a certain charm. While this went on I couldn't help but noticet he beautiful venue (St Cuthbert's Parish Church) which was warm and comfortable adding to the great atmosphere.
After the first piece, expectations were high, and we were not disappointed by "Oxford" by Haydn. As the conductor (Nicholas Kraemer) took the stage once more, you could almost feel the anticipation in the air as the audience waited for the sound to hit them. Sure enough its majestic opening rolled out of the instruments and stunned us all into wonder. The piece could easily have fallen apart if Nicholas Kraemer hadn't been so engaged with the musicians and the music. Its constant shift between loud and quiet kept us all captivated. The last piece "Paris" again by Mozart, was nothing but the grandes and most elegant of the last and was really the icing on the cake. An excellent performance with a great atmosphere and a beautiful sound.
Lisa Felix
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I didn't really know what to expect at the concert at St Cuthbert's Parish Church, and I thought it was really good. When it first started the orchestra sounded bigger than it was and I thought it was a CD playing since I heard no mistakes. The musicians were very enthusiastic, especially the front desk of teh cellos. The two were smiling alot of the time, and the conductor sometimes jumped when the music became very loud and strong. You could tell the conductor was very into the music. I noticed alot of the audience with their eyes closed as they were taking in the music, it was a great relaxed atmosphere. The orchestra gradually became bigger after each symphony as more musicians came onto the stage. It was amazing to hear and see how good they are at playing. The concert lasted 50 minutes but it seemed so much shorter, I didn't expect the time to go so fast. In conclusion, I did enjoy the concerrt and thought it was a great experience!
Amanda Craig
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The Scottish Chamber Orchestra was obviously trying to make music 'hip' and 'cool' but did they succeed with their performance at St Cuthbert's Parish Church?
The first piece was 'Hague' by Mozart and I was pleased with the musician's engagement in the music but there were no smiles! The music defiantly soared and glided through movements.
'Oxford' was a beautifully shaped piece by Haydn that definately captured the beauty of the flute and mastering of the conductor, Nicholas Kraemer. One of the musician that definately mesmerised me was a jazzy haired cellist with a gleaming smile. I really did admire his enthusiasm in the music.
Mozart succeeded in his symphony of Paris showing that it was definately the 'place to be' in that period. The music was grand and very busy with excitement.
Overall the SCO may have succeeded in making the title modern and 'cool' but the music still has the same unique brilliance and personally I think it should never change.
Jenni Ferguson
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The concert at the St Cuthbert's church was a fantastic display of classic music. The venue was spectacular with fantastic acoustics. The conductor Nicholas Kraemer was brilliant and was really feeling the music. The first piece played was Mozart's Symphony No. 5 "The Hague". This was a lively piece played extremely well by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, you could obviously see that the whole orchestra enjoyed playing and were glad to be there. The second piece, the longest
and in my view the most boring, was Joseph Haydn's symphony No. 92 "Oxford". The piece again well played but the music dragged on repeating itself all the time. As the concert progressed more instruments, it started off with just the strings, oboes, basoons, horns who played the notes by shaping their mouth and the timps. Thenn more flutes and oboes were introduced. The third and final piece was Mozart's symphony No.31 "Paris". This was my favourite piece by far with fantastic articulation and brilliant dynamics well brought out by the players and the players seemed to enjoy this most as well. Overall I think this was a superb display of classical music and also a good length. I would recommend it highly.
Euan Archibald
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A fantastic start when the famous conductor Nicholas Kraemer took to his platform. Very consistent in their playing. You can see that the violinists put all their effort into projecting their sound. Second part of Mozart's symphony "The Hague" - very eerie though gradually builds up to a massive climax. The horn players played natural French horns and were having to change the notes with their lips only. The timp player is very elegant when she plays. 3rd part of Haydn't symphony - lively and sparkly. 4th part - quiet and boring at parts but livens up straight after them with a boom. Second Mozart symphony, "Paris" - yet again another fabulous start. What particularly grabbed my attention this time was the way the violinists and cellists used the technique pizzicato (plucking a string that's supposed to be bowed). Very technical! You can notice how the whole orchestra engages the audience by swaying very slowly from side to side in unison on every few beats.
The audience loved it and raised to their feet in applause. A well-delivered 5-star performance - unmissable!
Neil Mark
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When the conductor first came on, he had no music, which showed that he must have known the music off by heart, and this was shown in the way he presented himself, as he put so much effort into it and knew exactly what he was doing. The players also seemed very much involved in the music they were playing, as they showed emotion, which added to the atmosphere. Even when some of the musicians weren't playing, they were still involved, by appreciating the other musicians hard work. At the start of the concert, not all of the players were on stage, however, more and more people gradually appeared by the end. The firm openings of the concert caught the audience's attention - especially Presto, which was one of the fastest movements and because the players looked as if they were enjoying playing the music, it also made the audience enjoy it more. By the third symphony, I could see that the concert was the right length, as some of the audience were losing concentration and seemed a little bored. I personally thought this concert, as I have never been to a classical concert before and didn't know whether I would like it or not, however I feel it was a great experience and has given me a different view on classical music.
Kirsty Glendinning
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The CL@SIX concert performed by the SCO ensemble at St Cuthbert's Parish Church was conducted by Nivholas Kraemer. It was an exciting evening of City symphonies by Mozart and Haydn.
Ruth Crouch led the ensemble into the first symphony which was Mozart's Symphony No 5 "The Hague". The piece was expressed well and had very good dynamics. The violin bows moved as one and I found it exciting to listen to. You could tell the ensemble had feeling in what they were playing making the piece seem heartfelt.
The following piece was Symphony No 92 "Oxford" by Haydn. This piece was not as strong as the first as it sounds a little harsh. The French horns were a treat for the audience as their unique sound shaped the music. The gorgeous flute playing was outstanding...The last Symphony was another by Mozart. This was Symphony No 31 "Paris" which I found soothing and relaxing. Dynamics were especially good in this piece. The cellos were outstanding throughout all the pieces and sometimes I couldn't take my eyes off them. They played with such enthusiasm and effort that they matched the red of the brass players faces.
With the few ups and downs mentioned, it was by no means a perfect concert but it was certainly an enjoyable experience. The audience loved it as their applause was enthusiastic and went on for about two minutes.
Mhairi Mackay
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