A.R. Sibson wrote his First Symphony, in A minor, in 1948 in memory of his son Maxell. It was written with the resources of the Bulawayo Municipal Orchestra specifically in mind. In a time of grief it was a courageous undertaking, the more so because the Symphony rises to a final mood of triumph and affirmation. Despite some lapses of discipline, the performance last night by the Orchestra with Mr. Sibson conducting, was both striking and moving.
No composer has been unconscious of the past. I intend no deprecation of a deeply felt and often arresting work in suggesting the thumbprint of Sibelius in the first movement construction, or of Elgar in the final rousing string motive.
Any sources have been well digested, and the orchestral deployment was rich and mostly effective. Perhaps the succession of ideas in the first movement interfered with the foreward progression one expects here, but there were moments of intense tragic thrust.
Anneke Bean gave a remarably fine account of Sain-Saens G minor Piano Concerto. She had lots of spirit and technique, though arguably not enough sheer power to invigorate this arteriosclerotic old warhorse.
I question the decision to perform Gluck’s Overture Iphigenia in Aulis in the bloated transcription with clarinets and a battery of brass. Delius’ A Walk to the Paradise Garden was not without incident.