Review: Academy of St Martin in the Fields ****
The traditional part of the Harrogate Festival opened with a visit from the strings of London's famous orchestra in a two delightful works spiced by the pungency of Shostakovich's Prelude and Scherzo.
The Academy musicians captured that elusive Czech lilt to perfection, adopting leisurely tempos that allowed the interplay between instruments to delight our ears, the playing so fresh and authoritative, the hall's acoustic adding its own brand of mellow warmth.
Written when he was 16, Mendelssohn's Octet is a score easy to love; the performance of the famous scherzo is beautifully precise and delicate.
Without undue hurry, it made a perfect foil to the fire and spirit of outer movements.
Sandwiched between these two works, the violent Shostakovich put the group's virtuosity to the test, technical fireworks thrillingly firing off in the heated final pages.
Yet the best was saved to the end with a delectable account of Last Spring, from Grieg's Elegiac Melodies, that came by way of an encore.
The festival continues until July 24.
Royal Hall, Harrogate
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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