Among a number of highly favourable reviews of Saturdays’ concert on April 24th 2010 in the Town Hall the following positively glowing comment was kindly posted on the HPS website by Mr Brian Kay.
“It was such a pleasure to be able to hear The Phil’s St George’s Day concert – all top quality English music performed with tremendous skill and enthusiasm. The ‘lollipops’ in the first half deserved a far larger audience (where were they?) and certainly were much enjoyed by all of us lucky enough to be present. But the icing on a very considerable cake was the Vaughan Williams symphony, in a performance which so splendidly captured RVW’s musical picture of London – extremely atmospheric where required and thrilling in the bigger moments. But that’s all in the music: what the symphony needs is someone with a grasp of the overall structure to give it maximum sense, and Natalia provided precisely that. It was a terrific performance of a much-loved work and richly deserved the warmth of the audience response. Thanks and congratulations all round.” Brian Kay May 4th 2010
A long standing BBC radio & TV presenter, Brian was chorus master of the Huddersfield Choral Society for ten years in an extensive career of very distinguished accomplishments including bass with the original King’s Singers. Brian is the current conductor / director of the annual Leith Hill Music Festival, and as such is naturally something of a Ralph Vaughan Williams (”RVW”) aficionado.
These authoritative words are certainly high praise indeed, superb recognition, for our orchestra & conductor in one of its finest recent public performances.
In addition, in associated correspondence addressed through to me, Brian mentions how he’d “enjoyed the concert enormously”, and how he’d been “particularly pleased to hear the symphony so magnificently performed”. Very well done the Phil!
Peter Lewis Vice President 2009-10 & acting President