A moving and intimate performance, full of life, full of heart

Stepping into the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields is quite something. Located next to Trafalgar Square, its interior is spacious and on Thursday night, it was lit up beautifully, ready for the performance of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, a chamber orchestra, and the brilliant horn soloist Stephen Stirling. What followed was pretty special. The programme consisted of an interesting range of pieces, from a mixture of living and passed composers. Beginning with Grieg’s Holberg Suite, the tone was set and we were deliciously confronted with the velvety and surging sound of the Academy. The Holberg Suite is mesmerising in itself, but listening to the Academy and watching the strings move in such beautiful uniformity added to the dreaminess of it. Here I would like to mention the Guest Director of the night, Stephanie Gonley, who’s experience and technique shone throughout the programme.

Then came the gem of the night, Matthew Taylor’s Horn Concerto No. 2 performed by Stephen Stirling. Taylor completed the concerto in March 2023, consisting of three movements, each unique with its own style, pace, and sense of humour. In Taylor’s own words, he felt Stirling ‘was the most poetic of horn players and much of the concerto tries to reflect this’. I really enjoyed this piece. I’m not much of a musical expert, but I did spend the majority of my teenage years playing oboe in various orchestras, and I am able to grasp the talent, technique and effort that went into this performance. Stirling played with courage and a seemingly deep understanding of the musical journey he was telling. The oboe also took centre stage which I always like to see! The playfulness between the horn and oboe, as well as the cor Anglais, was a pleasure to listen to. It was an animated performance, full of life.

Another jewel of the night was Philip Herbert’s Elegy: In Memoriam – Stephen Lawrence. It was like water, rising and falling at all the right points, particularly moving when importantly reminded of the tragic murder of Stephen Lawerence. It was only strings playing during this piece, and I appreciated hearing just them and the power of sound they can create standing alone. Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte also was a great choice to showcase what the ensemble can do. Clashy and warping, it felt refreshingly contemporary and experimental. A large chunk of the piece was just the plucking of strings which was fun to watch, petering out super slowly and gradually towards the end in such a stunning way by the cellist Will Schofield. Ending with Haydn’s ‘Philosopher’, which was paired deliberately with Taylor’s concerto, we got to enjoy some harpsichord playing by David Wright.

Overall, a brilliant evening of music, which showcased some great contemporary work from living composers and musicians. I found this choice to be notably successful, making the programme feel, not just alive, but intentional. It is important to hear classical music being created now, and it gives a concert a special feel of changeability and mutability that can only be achieved by having access to the composers, who are able to tweak and perfect their work in real time. Definitely check out all the pieces listed above and check out the Academy here: https://www.asmf.org/