Beethoven - Overture Namensfeier (The Name-Day Overture)
Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto (Soloist: Adelia Myslov)
R Strauss - Serenade Op 7 for wind
Beethoven - Symphony No. 1

I’d never before heard Beethoven’s ‘Namensfeier’ overture in over fifty years of concert going, and probably never will again. I shan’t miss it.

The much loved Violin Concerto by Mendelssohn is full of youthful verve and impetuosity, and was ideally suited to young soloist Adela Myslov, born in Russia and now a pupil at the Purcell School in Bushey. Small, dark, intense; eyes closed in concentration, hers was a near perfect performance capturing both joy and, especially, tranquillity in the slow movement. The orchestral accompaniment was generally sensitive, only once threatening to overwhelm the soloist toward the close of the first movement. During the applause Adela received a special smile of encouragement from leader Rebecca Boyle. As conductor Edwards remarked, ‘sometimes you get a special feeling’. This was one such.

The Serenade for wind, by 17 year old Richard Strauss, showed little of what was to come, but was pleasant and allowed the thirteen soloists to shine. 

To close, Beethoven’s First Symphony, a happy work in which the young genius bids farewell to the world of Haydn and Mozart and grabs the new century to himself. A sound rather than a joyful performance, but well played and well received.

Julian Taylor

Adelia Myslov was born in Russia in 1989 and moved to the United Kingdom when she was 2 years old. She began to study the violin at six with Natasha Boyarskaya and started at the Yehudi Menuhin School in 1997. Since 2002 she attends the Purcell School and takes lessons from Professor Felix Andrievsky at the Royal College of Music.

Adelia has performed in all the main London concert halls - the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Wigmore Hall. When Adelia was 9 she played for Yehudi Menuhin himself and received much appreciation from him. In 1999 she performed at Tony Blair’s Christmas Concert at 10 Downing Street. She also had a masterclass with Tasmin Little that year. In 2001, she played the Bruch Concerto at Fairfield Hall as a soloist with the Croydon Symphony Orchestra. In 2002 Adelia gave two recitals in North Wales. She has given solo performances in Spain, Italy and Germany and France. 

In 2003 Adelia won the Manoug Parikian Award, receiving £3000. In 2004 she received one a Martin Music Scholarship award and a Music award for Young Musicians. That year she also played the first movement of Prokofiev’s 1st Violin Concerto with the Purcell Symphonia as the result of winning the Middle School Concerto Competition. In April 2004, she played Ravel's Tzigane and Mozart Adagio as a soloist with the Youth Orchestra in Glastonbury. In July she won the 1st prize in the String Section of the Tunbridge Wells International Competition. In October 2004, she was invited to play on a gala performance in Paris, where she played Carmen Fantasie by Sarasate. In December 2004 she won the Geoffrey Shaw Award from MBF, receiving £1000. In 2005 Adelia won the 2nd prize in the new J&A Beare Solo Bach Competition and she was a finalist of the Ealing Concerto Competition and won the cup for ‘the most outstanding performance in the string section’. In May 2005, she was again awarded £1000 by the Martin Scholarship Fund.

Overture: Namensfeier (Name-Day), Op. 115

Beethoven wrote a number of overtures for a variety of occasions: four famously for his one opera, others for performances of plays or ceremonial occasions like the opening of a new theatre. This one he originally called ‘overture for any occasion or concert use’, but he quickly found an occasion for it in the birthday of the Emperor Franz in 1815.

It is a high-spirited piece with strong rhythms and abrupt little themes. After an imposing introduction the main section is in a bustling 6/8 time, which probably accounts for the fact that in France it was first published under the title ‘The Hunt’.

FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-47)

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 

1. Allegro molto appassionato, leading to 
2. Andante, leading, via allegretto non troppo, to 
3. Allegro molto vivace

Composed in 1844 this was Mendelssohn’s last major work for orchestra and has always been a favourite with the public. It is lighter and more intimate than concertos on the Beethoven model. The main theme of the first movement is given out immediately by the soloist with no long orchestral introduction or grand soloistic flourishes (as in Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ concerto which we played in our last concert).

One novel feature is that although there are the traditional three movements Mendelssohn did not want any breaks, let alone applause, between them. After the final chord of the first movement a bassoon holds on a note which expands into a little bridge passage to get us into the mood and key of the slow movement. At the end of this there is another link passage to prepare us for the vigorous finale.

RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949)

Serenade for wind instruments, Op. 7

Strauss’s father was a professional horn player so it is no surprise that young Richard showed early talent for writing music for wind instruments. This serenade was composed when he was only 17. It attracted the attention of the famous conductor Hans von Bülow and was the first of Strauss’s works to be performed at all widely.

It is a short work in a single andante movement scored, like Mozart’s great serenade, for 13 players: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns and a double bass instrument, either bassoon, tuba or, as today, string bass.

Von Bülow and his players obviously enjoyed performing it since Strauss was commissioned to write another longer piece for the same combination, his Suite in B flat.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)

Symphony No 1 in C, Op. 21

1. Adagio molto leading to Allegro con brio. 
2. Andante cantabile con moto. 
3. Menuetto: allegro molto e vivace. 
4. Adagio leading to Allegro molto e vivace.

Beethoven was something of a late starter with orchestral music. He was already 30 when he completed this first symphony in 1800. He had already published quite a collection of piano and chamber music but had written little for orchestra apart from two piano concertos (for himself to play). The symphony is a very lively work, owing a lot to Haydn but with its feet firmly on the threshold of a new century. It has been called ‘a farewell to the 18th century’. Beethoven dedicated it to Baron van Swieten who had been a great patron of Mozart’s.

The opening slow introduction sets out to puzzle the listener as to what key the piece is going to be in, but the lively allegro that follows leaves us in no doubt. The slow movement is the most obviously indebted to Haydn, from whom Beethoven had had lessons. Its theme has been called ‘kittenish’. The menuetto is really a scherzo. The last movement opens with a tease. Just how far up are the violins trying to go? and then what? What follows was in fact originally intended as the first movement.

The symphony was an immediate success with the public and was soon widely performed even reaching England in 1803.

For further information on this concert and to arrange tickets in advance please contact 01923 449 458.  Tickets are priced £8.50 (adult) and £6.50 (students).