Ealing Symphony Orchestra / John Gibbons

The programme by the Ealing Symphony Orchestra in its centenary year on November 26 at St Barnabas Church, Pitshanger Lane, London included — as a gesture of support of his musicians — Arctic Adventure a suite by Martin Jones, a member of the orchestra’s cello section since 2015. The work was adapted from music composed to accompany the family holiday video, Return to Svalbard (2013). It was melodious, with infectious tunes and interesting sonorities, reflecting the icy environment.

To open the concert, music director John Gibbons chose one of the great challenges in the orchestral repertoire, Don Juan by Richard Strauss. A firm downbeat by Gibbons launched the opening onslaught of musical dynamism and colour and the players showed their abilities throughout, meeting the virtuosic challenges required of them. Strauss’s orchestral imagination was occasionally obscured in the acoustic of the church which denied full pleasure but the quiet ending, using two trumpets cutting in with a dissonant note, was very effective.

In his sesquicentenary year, Vaughan Williams, recognised as giant in English music, was celebrated with his expansive London Symphony, played with an enthusiasm that gave great joy. The many descriptive episodes were well delivered and the whole performance had a clarity that escaped the earlier Strauss masterpiece.

Edward Clark for Musical Opinion, January — March 2023.