Orchestra of St Cecilia

{TABLE} Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 7 ..................... Handel Clarinet Concerto in B flat ................... Hoffmeister Bassoon Concerto in A minor, F VIII No 7 ...... Vivaldi Symphony No 45 ("Farewell") ................... Haydn {/TABLE} THE conclusion of Haydn's Farewell symphony, during which the players leave the platform one by one, is an early example of music theatre and still one of the most effective. It lost none of its charm on Sunday night in St Ann's Church, but the Orchestra of St Cecilia were less successful in presenting the other movements.

The Allegro Assai should have weight without sounding heavy and the Adagio should have enough lightness and variety of approach to keep the listener alert. The conductor, Fergus Sheil, did not generate enough current to save those movements from sounding laboured.

The slow movements of Handel's Concerto Grosso lacked precision and the melodic lines tended to sag; only in the Hornpipe did the music come to life.

Conor Sheil was the soloist in the attractive Clarinet Concerto by Hoffmeister (1754-1812) and he played it with clear cut phrasing and infectious vivacity. His style of playing was a sharp contrast to that of Hilary Macken, the soloist in Vivaldi's Bassoon Concerto. He led the music, she only followed it; but one of the most beautiful moments of the concert was her duet with the cello in the slow movement.