Once again the new Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra season opened with a concert performed to a capacity audience. The concert held last Saturday at the Medina Theatre opened with the ever popular Karelia Suite by Sibelius. The three movement suite is based on national tunes from the Karelia area (originally Finland now mainly Russia), and provided a wonderful opening to the concert.

The Orchestra were then joined by soloist viola player Timothy Ridout for a performance of a rarely heard concerto. The Viola Concerto by Cecil Forsyth was first performed in 1903. Forsyth himself a viola player wrote the work to display the versatility of the instrument and this was superbly displayed by the soloist. Timothy Ridout’s performance demonstrated both the virtuosic and lyrical capabilities of the instrument. His performance was deservedly greeted with enthusiasm by the audience. Timothy’s next solo performance is with the BBC Symphony Orchestra – a young man really going places.

The second half of the concert was given over to a performance of the 1st Symphony by Walton. This is a truly epic work calling for a large orchestra and is very demanding for all sections of the orchestra. For the listener who is unfamiliar with Walton’s music it can be demanding on the ear, but it is well worth persevering with to uncover its true beauty. The orchestra gave a commanding performance of such a difficult work and they should be congratulated on the outcome.

There are four concerts left in the present series and tickets for all four are now on sale from the Medina Theatre Box Office.

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