LEICESTER MERCURY, APRIL 1974

The Leicestershire Schools' Symphony Orchestra will be in Brighton tomorrow

to make two recordings simultaneously. The BBC and CBS Records will each have a control room to tape performances of Havergal Brian's setting of the 23rd Psalm and his 22nd Symphony and also of Berlioz's "Resurrexit" and his "Death of Orpheus". All this music is being recorded for the first time - the BBC's tape for eventual Radio 3 broadcast and CBS's for processing into a disc which it is expected will be issued in the autumn.

The conductor for all four works is Laszlo Heltay and the choir is the Brighton Festival Chorus, which Heltay directs. The LSSO was first in the field in making an LP of Havergal Brian's music with their brisk-selling disc of the 10th and 21st Symphonies, conducted respectively by the Halle's James Loughran and the orchestra's permanent director, Eric Pinkett who is Leicestershire's music adviser and founder of the County School of Music. Once again, the BBC's Robert Simpson (stalwart champion of Brian's music) is concerned with production and he is responsible too for performances of the two Berlioz rarities. Brian died, it will remembered, without ever hearing the very first record of his music and it is interesting that following the LSSO’s disc there is a projected one or other of the composer's symphonies by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

The LSSO will remain in Brighton after their two-day recording session to rehearse the Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the highly regarded young Russian player Philip Hirshhorn. This, again, is another instance of

Leicestershire's youthful orchestra serving a valuable role as sort of "pacemaker" for young virtuosi learning new works. Previously they have worked with pianist Peter Frankl and violinist Kyung-Wha Chung. "Do you by any chance happen to be rehearsing Tchaik's fiddle concerto?" came the question from Hirshhorn's London agent. Eric Pinkett's reply was "Yes" - the LSSO happen to be playing it with Campoli as soloist at Loughborough on May 2nd.

LEICESTER MERCURY, MAY 1974

Last night’s well attended "Dance Mosaic" at Leicester Haymarket Theatre proved to be (as was predictable) a highly successful by-product of the merger of city and county. The orchestra was the Leicestershire Schools Symphony (conductor Eric Pinkett) and on stage were the girls of New Parks School's dance group.

First praise must go to Mary Hockney, dance teacher At New Parks, who was responsible for all the choreography. I admire the stylistic versatility that was revealed in the five ballets she devised - from the saucy gaiety of "La Vie Parisienne" (Ibert's Divertissement) to the classic grace of her dance interpretation of Saint Saens' Rondo Capriccioso.

The excellent violinist in the Saint-Saens was the orchestra's leader, Graham Pyatt, and the musical idea of solo and accompaniment was reflected by a dance soloist (beautiful movement and line from Lynne Taylor) supported by an elegant pas de six. The inter-relationships were subtly pointed and the result

was a ballet of notable quality. It was especially evident in the big dance numbers that these New Parks girls, from the very youngest upwards, are trained in self-confidence and self-projection. No trace of timidity, here, in the face of a full house.

In the Ibert and in her impressive choreographing of Rimsky- Korsakov's colourfully exotic Capriccio Espagnol, Mary Hockney showed skill and resource in combining dancers of varying levels of technical attainment without ever suggesting compromise or contrivance. The street urchins in the French ballet did their thing with as much gusto and panache as the can-can girls. And when the scene changed to Spain there was the same fluent mixing of the experienced with the less experienced. I particularly liked the choreography for the slow, stately measure just after the opening of the Rimsky- Korsakov work, and admired it for an economy of movement and means which, nevertheless, sustained a fine sense of subdued excitement.

Sullivan's Di Ballo overture was the source of a dance rich in witty, romantic incident, and Leroy Anderson's "Fiddle Faddle" was a popular instrumental novelty featuring four glamorous and virtuoso girl fiddlers on stage level. Pit playing of rhythmic drive and assurance was typical of nearly all the orchestra's work. The exception was Beethoven's "Emperor" piano concerto, Philip Fowke being the soloist. With the piano on stage, the balance with the orchestra was never acceptable and there were moments in the slow movement where there was a separation in timing, too. The Finale had a dance accompaniment with some attractive touches and with the rondo idea neatly echoed visually. R.A.P.

LEICESTER MERCURY, JUNE 1974

No allowance whatsoever needed to be made for the youthfulness of the members of the Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra whose concert in the Leicester Proms at De Montfort Hall last night would have been worthy of many a professional orchestra of adults. The programme was a high-spirited one, ideal for a summer evening, under the baton of Maurice Handford.

Sullivan’s overture 'Di Ballo' at the start was splendidly springy and showed immediately the orchestra's sensitive response to the very clear direction of the conductor, emerging as a sparkling prelude to the wit of the following item, the Divertissement by Ibert. This bit of nonsense requires a band of chamber proportions only, each member of which, however, needs to be something of a virtuoso. It hardly seemed possible that schoolchildren could bring it off but this performance was a triumph for all concerned, there being apparently no difficulty in it at all so that one felt the fun was enjoyed equally by players and audience.

The evening’s symphony was Mendelssohn's Italian. Here, the bouncing opening

movement and the Saltarello at the end fared better than the two inner movements where there were one or two instances of faulty string intonation and wind ensemble. These were but minor flaws in a reading which generally had all the sunshine the composer intended and in which tension was never allowed to slacken. In Rachmaninoff's Paganini Rhapsody the soloist was Moura Lympany for whom the fiendishly difficult piano part held no terrors. Not that the accompaniment is easy, but by this time it was no surprise that the orchestra were fully equal to its demands.

Maurice Handford kept a firm grip on the overall design of what is in fact a huge set of variations which can all too easily sound a somewhat fragmented affair. This was not the case last night as each short section appeared the logical outcome of its predecessor., There was a fine crackle in the many bravura passages, balance between soloist and orchestra being excellent throughout and the serenity of the famous 18^th variation was most beautifully caught.

We were back in Italy for the final item, the Capriccio Italien of Tchaikovsky, which received a brilliant performance, essential indeed if we are to forget the emptiness of much of this music. Predictably and justly, it brought the house down. Maurice Handford, in saying how he had enjoyed working with "these precociously talented youngsters" asked us if we wanted more. We did, and were rewarded with a repeat performance of the last few pages of the Tchaikovsky. I.G.S.

LEICESTER MERCURY, AUGUST 1974

In a 45-minute stereo concert on BBC-3 tomorrow morning, Leicestershire Schools Symphony Orchestra (leader Graham Pyatt) give the first broadcast performance of Havergal Brian's 23rd Psalm. The programme entitled "Berlioz and Brian" will be conducted by Laszlo Heltay who has worked frequently with the LSSO who, for this broadcast, will be joined by the Brighton Festival Chorus. Berlioz will be represented by his Resurrexit and "O seul bien qui me reste" ("La Mort d'Orphee") and the other Brian work is his 22nd Symphonia Brevis.

LEICESTER MERCURY, SEPTEMBER 1974

For the last time under its present constitution the Leicestershire Schools Orchestra played at De Montfort Hall yesterday evening in a concert of showpieces, four familiar and one new to most of us, sponsored by St. Stephen's United, Reformed Church. This programme would have taxed the resources of many a professional orchestra, but it can be said at once that Eric Pinkett, founder in 1948 and conductor last night, had at his disposal a band capable of dazzling virtuosity in all its sections. Rossini's overture The Silken Ladder provided a cheerful opening and was succeeded by the Cornet Concerto of Denis Wright in which the soloist was Nicholas Thompson, who incredibly is still a teenager. Nicholas Thompson positively revelled in the challenges with which he was presented. His performance received a richly deserved ovation.

The full might of the orchestra was unleashed next in Don Juan by Richard Strauss. Eric Pinkett rightly allowed the music to rush headlong until the restraint of the final pages. There was no holding back on account of the orchestra's youthfulness; indeed, I can seldom remember the notorious prom theme towards the end sounding quite so confident and this was but one example of many which could be listed in a reading full of excitement and zest.

In some respects Sir Michael Tippett's Concerto for Double String Orchestra was the severest test of the evening. As far as the orchestra was concerned there was, not surprisingly, a certain amount of scrappiness in the fearfully involved opening pages. Kodaly's Dances of Galanta brought the concert to a brilliant and exciting close.

I.C.S.