This was a special evening of music-making by Oxford's leading amateur orchestra, Oxford Sinfonia. Securely and sensitively conducted by Robert Weaver, these talented local musicians came together to fill the Sheldonian with a warm and satisfying sound well fitted to their chosen repertoire.
It was an evening of two halves with the second devoted to Dvorak's ever popular New World Symphony. The score gives many orchestra members a chance to shine and they relished each opportunity, particularly in the woodwind section. It has never been a piece that speaks directly to my musical tastes but it was well delivered and well appreciated.
The first half, on the other hand, was a celebration of the soprano voice with a series of outstanding vocal performances by Rachel Nicholls.
The concert opened with an engrossing performance of the Prelude from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. Yes, there were some intonation issues from certain sections throughout, but it is easy to forgive those when the orchestra inhabited this rich score so convincingly.
This was immediately followed by Isolde's emotionally intense 'Liebestod' from the same opera. This is a role for which Nicholls has justly earned a glowing international reputation and her intimate knowledge of the music was immediately evident. It is hard to imagine hearing it sung better.
The highlight, for me and I suspect many others, was her shimmering and insightful interpretation of Richard Strauss's 'Four Last Songs'.
These songs are each miniature masterpieces requiring the full range of the soprano voice as well as a rich palette of vocal colours. And these were both fully realised, particularly in my personal favourite of the songs, 'Beim Schlafengehen', which always moves me to tears.
Having Strauss’s 'Morgen' as an encore was unexpected but very welcome treat.
I was particularly taken by the control demonstrated through the longer almost melismatic phrases. Also impressive was her command of the text something that some interpreters of this songs sacrifice to the vocal line. It showed a singer at the top of her game and one who should be sought out whenever the opportunity arises.
One other key thing, for me, was the generosity of spirit shown towards the orchestra by the soloist. It truly felt like a shared endeavour and that is what should be at the heart of any concert. It reminded me of the root of the word amateur from the Latin for love. This was a concert born out of a shared love of great music.