Review: Lichfield Festival's triumphant finale made all the more memorable by orchestra violinist's impressive snapped string recovery
PING! Just imagine that you are the leader - that is, the No.1 violinist - in a fine orchestra, vigorously performing the first movement of a Beethoven symphony in a beautiful cathedral setting. When suddenly... the top string on your fiddle snaps.
The cathedral is packed, and the performance is being recorded live by BBC Radio 3.
Many musicians might panic, But not Lesley Hatfield, leader of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She ripped open the packaging of a new string, and battled as speedily as she could to attach it to the tuning peg on her instrument - not an easy task under pressure.
Such an interruption is rare in music, though teenage prodigy Nicola Benedetti suffered an even worse crisis in the semi-finals of the BBC Young Musician Of The Year contest when the tailpiece of her violin - the bar that holds the strings near the chin of the player - repeatedly collapsed, sending the string springing in all directions. Happily, after emergency repairs to the instrument she won the contest and she has gone on to enjoy a marvellous career, including a memorable appearance in the Lichfield Festival.
On Saturday, with the leader’s violin back in action, the Welsh orchestra conducted by Ryan Bancroft concluded the three remaining movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No.3, The Eroica, with uninhibited vigour.
The symphony had followed the Lichfield Cathedral debut of a tremendously impressive rising-star soloist: violinist Hana Chang, who happily suffered no string mishaps.
What a marvellous player she is, giving a vibrant performance of German composer Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, the imaginative setting of folk melodies including “Through The Woods Laddie” in the first movement, and the lively “Hey Tuttie Tatie” and “Scots Wha Hae” in the fourth movement.
On Wednesday, folk music legends The Unthanks - Tyneside sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank - delighted a packed audience in the cathedral with a concert that was remarkably broad in scope.
They began with a simple ballad, accompanied only by pianist Adrian McNally, but I was immediately concerned at the fragility of the voices in the opening bars. The human voice is the most delicate of instruments, and if a throat bug bites it’s rather difficult to cancel a major concert.
However, when their full band - including a string quartet - joined them onstage the voices seemed to gain strength for the rest of the concert. They gave agreeable performances of songs including the Tyneside fishing theme “Sandgate Dandling” and “Magpie”. And, as usual, the sisters did a little clog dancing for variety.
On Friday, drummer Sam Every brought his Little Big Band with singer Hannah Hutton to the same venue. These young players have been making waves on the London jazz scene. Their programme consisted of entertaining jazz arrangements of popular TV themes, opening with Match Of The Day and including music from Fireman Sam, the Antiques Road Show and The Flintstones. But especially appealing was their smooth version of the Coronation Street theme, re-imagined as an arrangement in the style of the Count Basie Orchestra and with a lovely solo on flugelhorn from Josh Short.
Another jazz legend was evoked in their closing piece, Thomas The Tank Engine’s theme - expertly interweaved with the Duke Ellington theme song “Take The ‘A’ Train”. Hugely enjoyable.
Saturday’s orchestral concert may have been the traditional climax of the festival, but the event continued on Sunday with three shows at the Hub At St Mary’s arts centre. Violinist Lizzie Ball and pianist James Pearson paid tribute to the late swing violin legend Stephane Grappelli (another star who appeared many years ago in the festival), followed by the recorder ensemble Palisander, and African roots band Kasai Masai.
