Shostakovisch meets Schumann

Russian winter and Russian warmth

The evening after the Great Blizzard, which saw Milton Keynes turned into a huge skating rink, saw a magnificent concert at the Theatre, given by the Milton Keynes City Orchestra under their chief guest conductor, Sian Edwards. This vivacious redhead studied in Leningrad (as it was) and brought to the music of Shostakovich an authentic Russian rendition, with a distinctly British accent. The First Symphony of the greatest composer of the 20th century was delivered with passion and quality playing that will rarely be equalled anywhere. The principal cello player of the orchestra, Gerard Le Feuvre, gave an equally impassioned performance of Schumann's Cello Concerto, reorchestrated by Shostakovich. The audience was entranced by the performances, and if this is an indication of the growing relationship between the orchestra and Sian Edwards, Milton Keynes will be enjoying some outstanding performances in the coming years.

Reviewer:  Roy Tipping

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