BEETHOVEN 5
Review of August 2026 Concert by Rogan Falla
This, the fourth concert in the 2026 Subscription series was obviously warmly anticipated for there were few empty seats. David Kay, who has conducted SMCO on previous occasions, has an elegant conducting style which was well suited to the classical period programme.
The works performed were all by composers born in the eighteenth century and this made for a wonderfully united style. Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No 70 in D major was written in 1779 to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the new opera house at Esterházy Palace. Full of Haydn’s usual mixture of joyful themes it also included fugal writing and counterpoint. The rhythms and ensemble playing were precise and exact.
Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto in E major was finished in December 1803 for Anton Weidinger. Haydn’s Trumpet concerto was also written for Weidinger, the designer of the trumpet which could play all the notes of the chromatic scale. Jonah Levy, one of the trumpeters in the APO was soloist in this demanding work. What virtuosity Levy displayed. He has phenomenal breath control that gave him the ability to maintain magnificent legato playing. In the Rondo, trills, staccato passages and jolly junketing abounded and Levy received a very well-deserved warm reception for his special performance. The orchestra was also recognised by soloist and conductor for its support.
Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute, K620, followed the interval. Mozart and Schikaneder, his librettist, were members of a masonic lodge and the opening three solemn chords spelled out masonic ritual to any mason in the audience. The orchestra played with precision and solemnity before moving into a quick moving and jolly fugue. The brass and woodwind sections formed an ensemble and the strings played with meticulous attention to phrasing. Mozart would have been impressed. What a tragedy he died in 1791, within two months of composing the work.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op.67 needed no introduction. It is often very hard to play such a well-known work to a knowledgeable audience. Qualms weren’t needed here as David Kay had the orchestra very well schooled. The oboe cadenza towards the end of the brilliant Allegro con brio was commendable, as was the playing of the violas and cellos in the opening of the Andante – serene and warm before the brass and tympani began their bombastic march. The themes from the earlier movements re-appeared in the final movement with three trombones, a double bassoon and piccolo joining the rest of the exultant orchestra. What a concert, what brilliant playing and what a happy audience. There must have been lots of tired but proud musicians and Beethoven reigned supreme.