A season finale from ASMF and Timothy Ridout, blending virtuosity, warmth, and heartfelt connection in a true celebration of music and its quiet magic.
Stepping into the soft-lit space of St Martin-in-the-Fields on a summer evening feels like entering a different dimension. The noise of Trafalgar Square is still very much alive outside, and now and then a faint song from an outdoor concert reaches the church’s walls, but the moment the Academy of St Martin in the Fields begins to play, for me the outside world melts away. They have a rare gift, which is the power to create an acoustic sanctuary right in the middle of the city.
For the final concert of their season, the ASMF welcomed violist Timothy Ridout, former BBC New Generation Artist and one of the most exciting soloists on the international stage. He stepped in with a calm assurance, clutching his viola almost casually, but from the moment he joined the ensemble, it was clear this was going to be a special night. Not just because of his extraordinary technical command, but because of the unmistakable sense of chemistry between Ridout and the Academy. They played with a kind of joy that felt contagious.
The programme was carefully curated, unified by time and influence: each piece written within 40 years and orbiting, in one way or another, around Mozart. Rossini’s String Sonata No.1 in G major, composed when he was just twelve, opened the evening with a youthful energy and cheerful elegance. It’s a short, charming piece, almost operatic in character, and ASMF brought out its sparkle with lightness and clarity.
Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major followed, with Ridout and ASMF leader Tomo Keller taking on the viola and violin solos respectively. It’s one of Mozart’s most profound and lyrical works, rich with conversation between the two instruments. The interplay between Keller and Ridout was tender and full of warmth, sometimes like an intimate dialogue, other times like a dance, weaving effortlessly around one another.
After the interval came Hummel’s Potpourri mit Fantasie, a rarely heard gem, which stitches together themes from Mozart and Rossini into a flamboyant showcase. Hummel, who once lived with Mozart and soaked up his influence, clearly knew how to write for the viola. And Ridou made it sing! The virtuosity he brought to this piece was in those long golden lines, the moments of hush followed by bursts of pure brilliance. His tone, deep and rich, filled the space, and it left everyone mesmerised.
The final piece, Weber’s Symphony No.1 in C major, brought the evening to a jubilant close. Weber, incidentally married to Mozart’s wife’s cousin, composed it at the age of eighteen, full of youthful swagger and romantic flair. The ASMF played it with energy and elegance.
The audience was unstoppable. Applause rained down, and when Ridout returned for his bow, he lifted his viola with both hands, holding it out horizontally toward the audience, not in a grand gesture of victory, but more like an offering. To me, it felt like a quiet acknowledgement of partnership, a moment of humility that said: this instrument is not just an instrument, but my companion, and it, too, deserves your applause.
I left the church reluctantly, already missing the magic. The thought that this was the final concert of the season landed with a little sting. But if this is how the Academy chooses to say goodbye, full of joy, connection, and extraordinary musicianship, then I can only imagine what next season holds. I’ll be there. Definitely ready.